By Zehra Ulucak
ANKARA (AA) – Hackers stole $534 million from Japan’s digital currency exchange Coincheck, according to local media reports.
Coincheck's statement said, hackers broke in Friday at 02:57 (1757GMT).
The crypto-currency was sent from the NEM address of Coincheck.
NEM is a crypto-currency built on top of the blockchain like Bitcoin.
Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported that Coincheck President Koichiro Wada said during a press conference held late Friday that the company may seek financial assistance.
The Tokyo based company froze transactions for all crypto-currencies after the cyber attack except Bitcoin.
“Purchases and sales of cryptocurrencies other than BTC (altcoins) are currently restricted. Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience, ” Coincheck said on its webpage.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused everyone. Please follow the official Coincheck blog and our official social media accounts for updates, ” it added.
After the theft, the total value of the crypto money exchange declined by nearly 10 percent, while there was a loss of six trillion Japanese yen ($55.3 billion).
This could be the biggest crypto-currency theft.
