LEE JAE WON

Bithumb said an outsider broke into an internal employee mobile system and stole personal information, while its trading platform remained separate from the compromised system. The incident lands as South Korean financial firms face a wider wave of cyberattacks and as the exchange works to define the scope of possible data exposure.

Bithumb is preparing for a potential initial public offering in 2028 after reorganizing its business and moving to strengthen internal controls. The South Korean crypto exchange plans to complete risk and accounting upgrades by the end of 2026 before seeking a preliminary listing review in 2027.