Nubank and Mercado Pago temporarily suspended cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal operations this Friday, the 6th. Both institutions cited problems due to instabilities in third-party suppliers but did not publicly disclose which companies were responsible nor provide a forecast for service normalization.
In the specific case of Nubank, the suspension is linked to an external supplier responsible for transaction verification. In an official statement, the institution guaranteed that the failure did not occur in its own infrastructure and that customer security remains intact, keeping user assets and information protected.
The company also clarified that all other services related to cryptocurrencies remain operational; customers can still buy and sell digital assets on the platform, even without being able to make direct deposits or withdrawals of crypto assets. The bank stated that it is monitoring the situation with the supplier and will resume operations as soon as the external service is restored.
Fireblocks, a technology company focused on digital asset custody, commented on the occurrence. The company assured that its platform and infrastructure are functioning normally and refuted the idea that the interruption was caused by failures in its own systems.
In a context of concern over the security of cryptocurrency platforms, previous events were mentioned. At the end of October, Binance, considered the largest global digital asset exchange, was the target of a cyberattack that resulted in the theft of about US$ 6.3 billion (equivalent to R$ 34.7 billion). The FBI attributed this invasion to the group TraderTraitor, associated with North Korea.
After the platform gradually resumed withdrawals on November 1st, users withdrew billions of dollars in assets. According to Reuters, net outflows reached US$ 4.72 billion (R$ 26 billion) after the reopening, although Binance stated that withdrawal volumes had begun to stabilize.
Another reported incident involved the Brazilian exchange Mercado Bitcoin. On November 2nd, this company announced that it had detected a security incident and blocked approximately US$ 11.2 million (R$ 61.6 million) in assets. The exchange stated that there was no loss to customers or data leakage, preemptively suspending deposits and withdrawals.
Despite the temporal coincidence between the facts, there is no confirmation that the interruptions experienced by Nubank and Mercado Pago are related to recent cyberattacks. One theory raised in the market points to specialized blockchain analysis companies, such as Chainalysis, which assists institutions in monitoring transactions and identifying suspicious movements.
Rocelo Lopes, founder of the cryptocurrency payment company Truther, suggested to Folha de S.Paulo that problems in such services could explain the interruptions. A possible compromise of monitoring tools could lead financial institutions to temporarily block transfers to prevent operations involving suspicious or potentially compromised wallets. However, there is no confirmation that Chainalysis is involved in the incidents of the two institutions, given that both Nubank and Mercado Pago keep the identity of their suppliers confidential.
