Bitget Hackers Laundering Stolen Funds as Interceptions and Phased Reopening Begin

Hackers who breached cryptocurrency exchange Bitget are actively laundering stolen assets, swapping Ether for Bitcoin via THORChain while NEAR Intents froze $503,000 in intercepted funds. The breach occurred on September 24 when attackers compromised hot and warm wallets, with Bitget later revising total losses upward from $351.6 million to $387.5 million after tracing additional TRON and Zcash assets. Tether and Circle also froze approximately $318,000 in stablecoins. Bitget scheduled a phased resumption of withdrawals beginning September 28, confirming that customer losses remain covered by its $464 million User Protection Fund.