Accidental 2,000 BTC Airdrop Crashes Bitcoin Price 10% on Bithumb
Bithumb experienced a 10% Bitcoin price crash after a staff member accidentally airdropped 2,000 BTC instead of 2,000 KRW rewards.Summary
On February 6, 2026, the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb suffered a significant operational failure when a staff member mistakenly sent 2,000 Bitcoin (BTC) to hundreds of users instead of the intended 2,000 Korean Won (KRW) reward during a routine airdrop.
This error triggered immediate sell-offs on the exchange, causing the BTC/KRW trading pair to plummet over 10% below global market rates. The impact was largely confined to Bithumb due to its isolated order book, though some users benefited by selling the unexpected BTC windfall. The incident has reignited concerns about internal controls and risk management at major exchanges.
This event adds to Bithumb's history of operational issues, including a 2017 data breach and past liability rulings. Bithumb had not issued an official statement regarding corrective measures at the time of reporting.
(Source：BeInCrypto)