Bithumb’s Bitcoin glitch explained: balance error, forced selling, and a contained flash crash

A sharp, short-lived plunge in Bitcoin prices on South Korea’s Bithumb exchange on 6 February raised fresh concerns. 

While the price drop briefly resembled a broader market breakdown, available data suggests the episode was driven by a localized system error rather than a systemic liquidity failure.

Bitcoin on Bithumb’s won-denominated market fell more than 17% within minutes, briefly touching around ₩81.5 million before rebounding. 

Prices on global exchanges remained comparatively stable, highlighting that the disruption was largely confined to one venue.

What went wrong at Bithumb

According to industry reports, the incident stemmed from a computer error during an internal compensation or event payout process. 

Roughly 2,000 BTC was mistakenly credited to the accounts of hundreds of users. Each account briefly reflected balances worth hundreds of billions of won at prevailing market prices.

The error appears to have been a classic “fat-finger” or system input failure rather than a deliberate transfer.

Crucially, the credited balances existed only within Bithumb’s internal ledger and were not fully backed by immediately withdrawable on-chain reserves.

Why users couldn’t withdraw the credited Bitcoin

Despite the scale of the erroneous balances, a full-blown bank run did not materialize. Industry sources estimate that Bithumb’s actual Bitcoin holdings are around 50,000 BTC, far below the notional amount implied by the mistaken credits.

Bithumb’s limited available reserves prevented users from moving the majority of the wrongly credited Bitcoin off the platform, even as internal balances temporarily showed far higher figures.

Forced selling triggers a local flash crash

While mass withdrawals were blocked, selling was not. Some users who recognized the error quickly sold their credited Bitcoin into Bithumb’s order books. Estimates suggest that over 500 BTC was dumped in a short time window.

That sudden sell pressure overwhelmed local liquidity, sending Bitcoin prices on Bithumb sharply lower relative to other exchanges. 

The result was a classic flash crash: a steep, rapid decline followed by a partial rebound once selling pressure subsided and trading was halted.

Bithumb subsequently suspended deposits and withdrawals and initiated an internal system review, aiming to prevent further disorderly trading.

On-chain data confirms abnormal exchange flows

Exchange netflow data shows a sharp spike in Bitcoin outflows from Bithumb during the incident window, consistent with panic selling and internal settlement activity. 

However, these flows did not propagate meaningfully across other major exchanges. As of this writing, the netflow was negative of around 3,000 BTC.

Importantly, there was no corresponding surge in global exchange inflows or sustained selling pressure elsewhere, reinforcing the view that the disruption was exchange-specific rather than market-wide.

A local dislocation, not a systemic Bitcoin event

Price charts tell the same story. While Bitcoin on Bithumb’s KRW pair experienced extreme volatility, USD-denominated markets showed only routine movement by comparison. 

The broader market did not register the kind of synchronized sell-off typically associated with macro shocks or liquidity crises.

This divergence underscores a key distinction: price distortions caused by internal exchange mechanics can appear dramatic even if they do not reflect broader market sentiment or fundamentals.

Final Thoughts

• The Bithumb incident was driven by an internal balance error that triggered forced selling, not by a collapse in Bitcoin’s broader market structure.
• While the flash crash was contained, it underscores how operational failures at centralized exchanges can still create sharp, localized market shocks.