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Crypto World

Bithumb Error Sends Bitcoin Crashing 10% After 2,000 BTC Airdrop

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BTC/KRW Price Performance

South Korea’s cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb faced a major operational mishap on February 6, 2026, which quickly sent the BTC/KRW trading pair down by double digits.

It brings to mind past controversies about the exchange, including incidents of partial liability in data leaks.

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Bithumb’s Accidental 2,000 BTC Airdrop Sparks 10% Bitcoin Crash on Exchange

Reportedly, a staff member accidentally sent 2,000 Bitcoin (BTC) to hundreds of users instead of the intended 2,000 Korean Won (KRW) reward.

The error triggered an immediate wave of sell-offs, sending Bitcoin’s price on the exchange more than 10% below global market rates.

BTC/KRW Price Performance
BTC/KRW Price Performance. Source: TradingView

Dumpster DAO core member Definalist first reported the incident, citing a routine airdrop meant as a small incentive for platform users.

Amidst the chaos, some users reportedly benefited significantly from the mistake, selling their unexpected Bitcoin windfall at market prices.

The accidental BTC distribution has raised questions about internal controls and risk management at crypto exchanges, particularly those handling high-value digital assets.

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“Crazy to think that exchanges can still do paper trading like this, even in 2026 lmao,” remarked Definalist.

Notably, however, the Bitcoin price crash was largely confined to Bithumb due to the exchange’s isolated order book. Users sold massive amounts of BTC directly on Bithumb, overwhelming its liquidity and causing a 10% local drop.

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Other exchanges remained unaffected because the selling pressure didn’t enter their markets, and global arbitrage mechanisms hadn’t yet adjusted the discrepancy, keeping the impact largely contained.

BTC/KRW vs BTC/USDT on Binance and Coinbase
BTC/KRW vs BTC/USDT on Binance and Coinbase. Source: TradingView

Notwithstanding, the incident highlights the operational risks that can persist even in major exchanges, despite years of industry maturation. It also shows how a simple input error can cascade into substantial market disruption.

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Bithumb did not immediately respond to BeInCrypto’s request for comment and has not yet released an official public statement on corrective measures.

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Still, the event could influence market confidence in the short term, particularly on exchanges where operational errors have immediate price consequences.

Bithumb’s Operational History and Corporate Changes Highlight Ongoing Risks

Bithumb itself has a checkered history with security and operational issues. In 2017, a data breach exposed customer information, and in a 2020 ruling, local media reported that the exchange was found partially liable in one case in which a user lost $27,200.

The court ruled that, although Bithumb’s database had been accessed, the claimants should have recognized the scam attempts and awarded only $5,000 in damages.

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Other claims were dismissed because the court found the private information could have been obtained elsewhere.

Bithumb has also undergone significant corporate changes in recent years. In 2018, the exchange sold a 50% stake to BK Global Consortium, a group led by startup investor Kim Byung-gun, who was already the company’s fifth-largest shareholder.

This acquisition came amid a broader contraction in the crypto sector investment. According to FinTech Global research, global crypto investments peaked at $7.62 billion in 2018 before falling to $3.11 billion in 2019. In the first half of 2020 alone, the sector raised just $578.2 million.

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This latest mishap adds to Bithumb’s long history of operational challenges, reinforcing the view that while crypto adoption is growing, the sector remains vulnerable to human and technical errors, even in leading exchanges.

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Crypto World

Here’s Why Bitcoin Analysts Say BTC Price Will Bottom at $40K

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Here’s Why Bitcoin Analysts Say BTC Price Will Bottom at $40K

Bitcoin (BTC) buyers made a tepid comeback on Monday, pushing BTC price to its intraday high of $67,860. Analysts said that Bitcoin remains in a bear market, with several metrics pointing to a potential bottom below $50,000.

Key takeaways:

  • Bitcoin price turns $70,000 into resistance, clearing the path for a deeper correction.

  • Bitcoin’s short-term holder realized price bands moved lower, with a potential bottom around $46,000.

  • Historical retracement levels and a bear flag breakdown point to $39,000–$41,000 as the final low for BTC price this cycle.

Bitcoin’s “path of least resistance” is downward

Data from TradingView captured ongoing BTC price gains, up 1.5% on the day to trade at $67,750, as $69,000-$70,000 became new resistance.

BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Analyzing Bitcoin’s price action on lower time frames, Telegram trading resource Technical Crypto Analyst said losing the $68,000-$69,000 support “confirms short-term bearish momentum,” adding:

“Unless price quickly reclaims $69K–$70K, the path of least resistance remains downward toward the $65K demand zone.”

Related: Worst six months since 2018? Five things to know in Bitcoin this week

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“Great bounce upwards, but nothing confirmed as of yet on Bitcoin,” MN Capital founder Michael van de Poppe said in a Monday post on X.

It “all depends on macroeconomic events; however, I’d rather see a breakout above $71K for confirmation,” he added.

“On the other hand, a classic little sweep to $65K just before the push upwards would signal that we’re going to get that momentum.”

BTC/USD four-hour chart. Source: X/Michael van de Poppe

Analyst Kyle Chassé said that with the Fear and Greed index still in the “extreme fear zone” and the order books showing more shorts than longs, the market leans “towards more downside.”

Crypto fear and greed indeed. Source: X/Kyle Chassé

Where will the Bitcoin price bottom?

Bitcoin’s 46% drawdown from its $126,000 all-time high has seen the cost basis of short-term holders (STH) — the average price of entities who have held BTC for less than 155 days — drop from $113,500 to $83,200.

“​​This is a sign that the pricing for a potential bottom has also moved lower,” said CEO and founder at Alphractal Joao Wedson in an X post on Monday.

Similarly, the lower line of the STH realized pricing bands (blue line) has also moved “even lower, which could confirm that Bitcoin may form a bottom around $50K or slightly below,” Wedson added.

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The chart below shows that Bitcoin bottomed out just below the lower band of the STH realized price during the 2022 bear market. 

Bitcoin STH realized price bands. Source: Alphractal

Analyst Willy Woo said that the bear market bottom for Bitcoin could be between its realized price, currently at $54,000, and the Cumulative Value-Days Destroyed (CVDD), now at $45,500.

“Old school onchain models suggest a BTC bottom between $46K-54K. ”

Bitcoin pricing models. Source: X/Willy Woo

The CVDD measures the cumulative value of “Coin Days Destroyed” (long-term holders selling) relative to the market’s age, creating a rising “floor” price during bear markets. 

Crypto analyst Crypto Jelle said Bitcoin’s bear market lows have historically formed between the 0.618 and the 0.786 retracement levels, which are at $57,600 and $39,000, respectively.

BTC/USD weekly chart. Source: X/Jelle

As Cointelegraph reported, the current “last stages” of the bear market are producing predictions of as low as $41,000, based on a bear flag breakdown.