THORChain restored cross-chain swaps on majority networks including Bitcoin and Ethereum on November 3, 2026, after an October 31 block reorganization refund bug triggered an automatic trading halt. The network pause inadvertently delayed efforts by North Korean hackers to launder proceeds from a $6.3 billion Binance exploit. Following the protocol restart, THORChain's native RUNE token rallied 15% to approximately $0.64.
Restoration and current status of THORChain networks
- ▪THORChain restored cross-chain trading and transaction signing on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Tron, and Zcash by November 3, 2026, following a weekend halt triggered by an Ethereum reorg refund bug
- ▪THORChain maintained trading halts or warnings on BNB Smart Chain, Cosmos Hub, and Solana as of November 3, 2026
- ▪Cointelegraph reported that THORChain networks Avalanche, Base, and XRP were already fully operational prior to the November 3, 2026 swap restorations on networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum
Ethereum reorg bug triggers network halt
- ▪THORChain node operators initiated an automatic network trading pause after the October 31, 2026 one-block Ethereum reorg refund bug caused an extra 10 Ether payout from THORChain's vault
- ▪A one-block Ethereum block reorganization removed an unconfirmed 10 Ether deposit, triggering a bug that issued duplicate refunds
Impact on North Korean hacker money laundering
- ▪Pangolin Intelligence founder Jonty disputed a Nov. 2 Arkham report alleging direct Binance deposits by hackers, explaining that transactions were executed by arbitrage traders utilizing THORChain Asgard vaults
- ▪Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported that THORChain's network halt inadvertently delayed North Korean hackers attempting to launder funds stolen in a $6.3 billion Binance hack
- ▪Pangolin Intelligence founder Jonty stated that on days of major hacks attributed to North Korea's TraderTraitor group, over 99% of THORChain volume was illicit laundering
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