Cryptocurrency worth more than $6.3bn (£4.7bn) has been stolen from a major exchange - with one industry insider telling Sky News it is "the largest bank heist in human history".
The security exploit targeted Binance, one of the world's biggest platforms for trading digital assets, which said it is establishing the facts with urgency.
Deposits and withdrawals have been suspended for customers - with the company insisting that user funds are safe, and all hacking losses will be covered.
According to TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence firm that tracks the industry, an elite North Korean hacking unit called TraderTraitor was responsible for the theft - and it was completed in just 20 minutes.
That would make it the largest cryptocurrency hack to date - surpassing the $1.5bn that was stolen when the Bybit exchange was targeted last year.
Crypto industry suffers 'largest bank heist in human history' as billions stolen in Binance hack
Sky News
According to TRM Labs, which tracks the industry, digital assets worth more than $6.3bn (£4.7bn) have been taken from Binance by North Korean hackers. This would be the largest cryptocurrency hack to date - and one of the biggest in financial history.