Tech

Japan's Coincheck set to report to regulators over $530 million cryptocurrency heist

Key Points
  • Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck, stung by the theft of $530 million of digital money last month, is expected on Tuesday to file a report with regulators on the hacking.
  • Coincheck said on Friday it would allow customers to restart yen withdrawals on Tuesday, saying it has confirmed the integrity of its system security.
  • Still, the exchange said it would keep restrictions on cryptocurrency withdrawals until it could guarantee the secure resumption of its operations.
Digital currencies seen on Coincheck's cryptocurrency wallet on January 29, 2018.
Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty Images

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck, stung by the theft of $530 million of digital money last month, is expected to file a report with regulators on the hacking on Tuesday.

The Financial Services Agency ordered Coincheck to raise its standards after the hack, and gave the exchange until Feb. 13 to submit a report on the heist, the safety of its systems, and measures it would take to prevent a repeat.

Coincheck said on Friday it would allow customers to restart yen withdrawals on Tuesday. The exchange, which froze all withdrawals of yen as well as digital currencies following the theft, said it had confirmed the integrity of its system security.

Coincheck has received withdrawal requests from customers totaling about 30 billion yen ($280 million), a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters last week.

Still, the exchange said it would keep restrictions on cryptocurrency withdrawals until it could guarantee the secure resumption of its operations. It did not give further details.

The Coincheck heist exposed flaws in Japan's system of regulating cryptocurrency trading, and raised questions over the country's dash to oversee the industry - a move that was in sharp contrast to clampdowns by policymakers in countries such as South Korea, China and India.