<s>
Bithumb	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
South	O
Korean	O
cryptocurrency	O
exchange	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Founded	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
Korea	O
has	O
8	O
million	O
registered	O
users	O
,	O
1	O
million	O
mobile	O
app	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
current	O
cumulative	O
transaction	O
volume	O
has	O
exceeded	O
USD	O
$1	O
trillion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
Blockchain	O
Industries	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
merge	O
with	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
and	O
form	O
the	O
Blockchain	O
Exchange	O
Alliance	O
(	O
BXA	O
)	O
,	O
potentially	O
becoming	O
the	O
first	O
major	O
cryptocurrency	O
exchange	O
to	O
go	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
increasing	O
sales	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
reported	O
a	O
net	O
loss	O
of	O
$180	O
million	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
decline	O
in	O
cryptocurrency	O
prices	O
and	O
reduced	O
trading	O
volume	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
was	O
raided	O
by	O
the	O
Seoul	O
Metropolitan	O
Police	O
Agency	O
on	O
suspicion	O
of	O
investment	O
fraud	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2018	O
,	O
BK	O
Global	O
Consortium	O
signed	O
a	O
deal	O
to	O
buy	O
a	O
majority	O
share	O
of	O
BTC	O
Holding	O
Co	O
.	O
which	O
is	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
's	O
largest	O
investor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
22	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
OTC-listed	O
holding	O
company	O
Blockchain	O
Industries	O
signed	O
a	O
binding	O
letter	O
of	O
intent	O
to	O
merge	O
with	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
on	O
or	O
before	O
March	O
1	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
11	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
announced	O
a	O
net	O
loss	O
of	O
KRW205.5	O
billion	O
(	O
US$180	O
million	O
)	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
a	O
sharp	O
turnaround	O
from	O
the	O
KRW427.2	O
billion	O
profit	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
despite	O
2018	O
's	O
sales	O
rising	O
17.5	O
%	O
to	O
KRW391.7	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
hackers	O
stole	O
user	O
information	O
from	O
a	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
employee	O
's	O
personal	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
was	O
raided	O
by	O
the	O
government	O
for	O
alleged	O
tax	O
evasion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2018	O
,	O
approximately	O
$32	O
million	O
of	O
cryptocurrency	O
was	O
stolen	O
from	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
in	O
a	O
hack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2019	O
,	O
30	O
out	O
of	O
340	O
total	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
employees	O
were	O
laid	O
off	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
declining	O
trading	O
volume	O
and	O
profits	O
in	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
29	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
said	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
hacked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nearly	O
$20	O
million	O
worth	O
of	O
EOS	B-Protocol
and	O
Ripple	B-Protocol
tokens	O
were	O
estimated	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
stolen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
2	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
was	O
reported	O
in	O
local	O
Korean	O
news	O
that	O
the	O
Bithumb	B-Protocol
exchange	O
was	O
raided	O
by	O
the	O
Seoul	O
Metropolitan	O
Police	O
Agency	O
's	O
Intelligent	O
Crime	O
Investigation	O
Unit	O
.	O
</s>
