Daily Crypto Briefs 
CASABLANCA, Nov. 13, 2026
The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday it won court approval to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion stolen from Binance in October, advancing efforts to recover funds from a theft the exchange valued at about $6.34 billion.
The court authorization covers part of the more than $2.7 billion that U.S. authorities and private companies had frozen by November 12. The department said efforts to secure the rest of the stolen crypto and seek forfeiture were continuing.
BNB closed Thursday at $656.83, down 3.4% from Wednesday and about 11.5% from October 13, according to CoinLore’s BNB/USD data. It traded as low as $650.72 during the session.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said investigators worked with partners to freeze stolen funds soon after the theft. The department said the FBI is coordinating the recovery effort with the U.S. Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation.
BNB
BNBSampled daily closes from CoinLore.
Binance hack losses and frozen funds
Binance initially put the October 29 theft at around $6.3 billion and said roughly $3 billion had been frozen. In its November 3 findings, the exchange put the impact at about $6.34 billion and said around $2.85 billion had been frozen or intercepted, subject to reconciliation and changes in token prices.
Elliptic traced $6.43 billion in unauthorized transfers from Binance hot wallets across 11 blockchains, including a second wave on Avalanche and Polygon later on October 29. Its loss estimate was more than four times the $1.46 billion it traced in the 2025 Bybit theft.
As of its November 1 update, Elliptic had verified about $2.85 billion in frozen or seized assets, almost all in USDT and USDC. The firm counted 1.18 billion USDT and 823 million USDC frozen by their issuers in one wallet on October 29. The Justice Department’s announcement did not specify whether either balance was covered by the court authorization.
The FBI attributed the Binance theft to a North Korean group it calls TraderTraitor. Its October 31 alert identified addresses linked to the stolen assets. The Justice Department gave no count of affected customer accounts or wallets in its Thursday announcement.
What the Binance seizure approval covers
The court approval is the new step. Private companies had already helped immobilize assets. The authorization gives federal authorities legal grounds to seize or restrain a portion of that pool. The department did not identify the court, provide a docket number or break down the amount by token in its announcement.
Justice Department guidance describes seizure, forfeiture and distribution as separate steps. Authorities can hold property while ownership is resolved. Returning forfeited assets to eligible claimants can require additional proceedings. Thursday’s announcement gave no date for any return of funds.
The department separately said it seized infrastructure used in FaceStealer, a North Korean fraud campaign that it said stole more than $400 million in cryptocurrency over 18 months. That estimate applies to the FaceStealer victims. The court authorization announced for the Binance theft covers assets from the October 29 incident.
Binance says it covered the stolen assets
In a separate reserve update, Binance said it had finished sourcing assets to cover the losses. It used its corporate treasury, part of its futures insurance fund and part of its Secure Asset Fund for Users. The exchange said it would rebuild that emergency fund to about $1 billion.
Its November 12 snapshot covered 198 tokens, expanding on the first post-hack reserve proof for 10 tokens. Binance estimated it would take 40 to 50 hours to generate the full cryptographic proof that users can check against their balances. The exchange said withdrawals were still reopening in phases.
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index fell to 20 on Friday, in the Extreme Fear range, from 28 on Thursday.
Fear & Greed Index
Nov. 13, 2026As of 10:50 UTC Friday, the Justice Department had announced neither a final forfeiture nor a distribution. Binance’s next reserve update can establish whether users can check the new proof and which withdrawals have reopened.
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Primary sources and further reading
| Source | Title |
|---|---|
| | U.S. Justice Department announcement on the Binance seizure and restraint |
| | FBI attribution of the October 29 Binance theft |
| | Binance November 3 incident findings |
| | Binance completion of reserve replacement and new snapshot |
| | Elliptic on-chain analysis of Binance losses and freezes |
| | Justice Department guidance on compensating victims with forfeited assets |
| | CoinLore BNB/USD historical market data |
| | Alternative.me Crypto Fear & Greed Index |
Fact-checked by: Daily Crypto Briefs Fact-Check Desk
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much stolen Binance crypto did the U.S. get approval to seize?
The Justice Department said on November 12 that it received court approval to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion. That amount is included in the more than $2.7 billion frozen by authorities and private companies.
How much crypto was stolen in the Binance hack?
Binance reported that approximately $6.34 billion in assets were affected by the October 29 theft. Elliptic independently estimated that $6.43 billion was stolen across 11 blockchains.
Has the U.S. returned the $1.2 billion to Binance?
The Justice Department announced court authorization to seize or restrain assets. It did not announce a final forfeiture order or a transfer of those funds back to Binance.
Did Binance replace assets taken in the hack?
Binance said it finished covering the affected assets using company resources. It published a November 12 snapshot covering 198 tokens and said a full cryptographic proof would take about 40 to 50 hours to generate.