Brazilian digital banking provider Nu Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NU), also known as Nubank, temporarily halted cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals for customers in Brazil on Friday, November 6, 2026.
The company attributed the disruption to a technical problem involving an external service provider, according to statements reported by Bloomberg.
In a statement released that day, Nubank emphasized that customer assets and personal information remain fully protected.
Officials clarified that the difficulty does not stem from the company’s own infrastructure and does not compromise the security of client accounts or data.
The firm declined to name the external partner involved and did not specify how many of its roughly 120 million customers in Brazil were affected by the pause.
Nubank indicated that other cryptocurrency-related products within its platform continue to function normally while the issue is resolved.
The suspension specifically targets the ability to move digital assets in and out of the platform, while internal buying, selling, and related features appear unaffected based on company communications and app notifications.
The development comes just one week after hackers stole approximately $6.3 billion from Binance Holdings Ltd. in what has been described as the largest cryptocurrency theft on record.
That incident, which unfolded in late October 2026, involved the rapid draining of funds from exchange hot wallets across multiple blockchains.
U.S. authorities later attributed the attack to a North Korean state-linked group, and Binance has stated it is covering the losses using company resources while working to restore services and freeze some stolen assets.
Around the same time as Nubank’s announcement, Mercado Pago—the fintech arm of MercadoLibre—also reported disruptions to certain cryptocurrency transfers.
The company blocked some movements to external wallets as a precautionary step and noted that deposits could face delays until the underlying problem is fixed.
Mercado Pago linked its issues to an incident affecting a provider of risk monitoring and anti-money laundering services.
Like Nubank, it assured customers that funds remain secure and that other crypto features continue operating.
It remains unclear whether the two companies were impacted by the same external provider.
These temporary restrictions highlight the interconnected nature of cryptocurrency services, where platforms often rely on specialized third-party vendors for compliance monitoring, data verification, and transaction screening.
When such a provider experiences instability, downstream services can pause transfers even if the primary platforms’ core systems remain intact.
Brazilian financial authorities and industry observers have not yet issued formal statements on the matter as of the reports, and neither company provided a timeline for full restoration of services.
The events unfold against a broader backdrop of heightened scrutiny of digital asset security in Latin America.
Earlier in the week, Brazilian exchange Mercado Bitcoin indicated it would absorb a $40 million loss following a separate hacking incident, further illustrating ongoing risks in the sector. For Nubank customers, the priority remains the company’s assurance that existing holdings are safeguarded while the external issue is addressed.
