Hackers stole $6.3 billion from Binance in the world’s biggest crypto heist, putting a spotlight on how cryptocurrency exchanges insure their digital assets against theft and cyberattacks.
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exchanges → steal → theft
Coverage depends on how assets are stored, how hackers gain access and the specific terms of the policy.
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hackers → depend → policy
Limited regulation and volatile crypto prices have long made insurers wary of the sector, despite growing demand for protection against digital asset theft and claims against company executives.
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insurers → make → executives
While both crime and demand for protection have tracked cryptocurrencies’ meteoric rise, underwriting such risks remains a niche business offered largely by specialist insurers in the Lloyd’s market and in Bermuda.
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underwriting → track → Bermuda
Digital asset insurance is a range of policies designed to protect cryptocurrency exchanges, custodians and other companies operating in the sector against financial losses arising from the theft of digital assets, cyberattacks, technology failures and other business risks.
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insurance → design → assets
Unlike traditional insurance, these policies are tailored to risks associated with blockchain technology, including the theft or loss of private keys, wallet security breaches, smart contract vulnerabilities and failures in digital asset custody.
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policies → tailor → custody
The global crypto insurance market was valued at $9.37bn in 2025 and is projected to reach $184.98 billion by 2033, according to Data Bridge Market Research.
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market → value → Research
The research firm cited growing institutional adoption of cryptocurrencies and rising incidents of cyberattacks and digital asset theft among the factors driving demand.
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firm → cite → demand
Coverage can include several types of policies: crime insurance for theft, social engineering and scams; cyber liability for breaches, hacks and regulatory response; errors and omissions insurance for software bugs; smart contract failures; directors and officers insurance for lawsuits targeting executives; and technology liability for infrastructure providers.
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Coverage → include → providers
How are losses covered?
When a crypto exchange suffers a hack, losses can be covered through a combination of insurance payouts, the company’s own capital and emergency funds set aside to compensate customers.
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losses → cover → customers
The extent of insurance coverage depends on the policies held by the exchange, including their limits, deductibles and exclusions.
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extent → depend → limits
Where losses exceed the insured amount, the company must rely on its own financial resources or other recovery arrangements to meet its obligations.
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company → exceed → obligations
Some exchanges also maintain reserve funds to reimburse customers following security breaches.
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exchanges → maintain → breaches
Binance established the Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) in July 2018 as an emergency reserve to protect users in extreme cases, such as security breaches or platform-level incidents.
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Binance → establish → breaches
As of 2026, the SAFU fund holds crypto assets worth roughly $1bn, entirely in bitcoin, according to Binance’s website.
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fund → hold → website
The company did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on its insurance coverage.
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company → respond → coverage
What can prevent an insurance payout?
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What → prevent → payout
Exclusions that let insurers deny certain claims are common in policies covering digital assets and the personal liabilities of directors and officers at cryptocurrency companies.
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insurers → let → companies
These can limit the scope of protection available to companies and make it harder for them to secure coverage.
Common exclusions in these policies include value fluctuations, fraudulent acts by the policyholder and unsecured or negligent key management.
Do traditional crime and cyber insurance policies cover crypto?
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policies → limit → crypto
Most standard crime insurance policies do not cover cryptocurrency losses, as they were originally designed to protect physical property such as cash, securities and precious metals.
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they → cover → cash
Traditional cyber liability policies also do not always cover the value of digital assets stolen in a hack.
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policies → cover → hack
While cyber policies can cover both first-party losses and third-party liabilities, including forensic investigations, customer notifications and legal expenses, they generally exclude the loss or transfer of funds.
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they → cover → funds
As a result, standalone cyber policies typically do not cover the full value of stolen cryptocurrency unless specific digital asset coverage has been added.
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coverage → cover → cryptocurrency
How do insurers assess crypto theft claims?
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insurers → assess → claims
Insurers examine how a breach occurred, which systems were compromised and whether the resulting loss falls within the policy’s coverage.
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loss → examine → coverage
They may also assess whether the exchange followed required security procedures, including controls over private keys, wallet access and transaction approvals.
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exchange → assess → keys
The distinction between an external hacker stealing credentials and an employee deliberately transferring assets can determine whether a crime or cyber insurance policy covers the loss.
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crime → steal → loss
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