South Korea crypto exchange files for bankruptcy after employee embezzlement, $26M in losses

Another day. More exchange drama.

Coinbin, the South Korea-based digital asset exchange, has filed for bankruptcy. The business, which bought the notably hacked Youbit exchange, reported losses of more than $26 million, as reported by CryptoCoinNews. The crypto world is infamous for its exchange headaches, which include shutdowns, outages, and hacks — including the $500M-plus hack of Coincheck last year. In total, close to a $1 billion of crypto was hacked from crypto exchanges in 2018, as reported by Forbes.  

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As for Coinbin, the firm's most recent woes are tied to embezzled funds — not hacked funds. "We are preparing to file for bankruptcy due to a rise in debt following an employee’s embezzlement," CEO Park Chan-kyu said. The employee allegedly commandeered a wallet holding 100 Ethereum. 

The news is on the heels of the death of the CEO of QuadrigaCX’s. His passing left customers without access to over $150M as he was allegedly the only person with access to the crypto keys to unlock funds. 

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Frank Chaparro is Host of The Scoop podcast and Director of Special Projects. He also writes a biweekly newsletter. Chaparro started his career at Business Insider, where he specialized in the intersection of digital assets and Wall Street, market structure, and financial technology. Soon after joining Business Insider out of Fordham University, Chaparro was interviewing top finance and tech executives, including billionaire Mark Cuban, “Flash Boys” star Brad Katsuyama, Cboe Global Markets CEO Ed Tilly, and New York Stock Exchange President Tom Farley. In 2018, he become a sought after reporter in the crypto world, interviewing luminaries such as Tyler Winklevoss, the cofounder of Gemini, Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Circle, and Fundstrat head Tom Lee. For inquiries or tips, email [email protected].