Canadian cryptocurrency exchange Catalyx has temporarily suspended trading and withdrawals on its platform after discovering a security breach that it suspects may involve one of its employees.
The exchange said it believes that this breach has resulted in the loss of a portion of the crypto assets held on behalf of its clients, although the exact amount of the losses has not been disclosed.
“Management suspects that this security breach, which may involve an employee, has resulted in the loss of a portion of the crypto assets held by the Company on behalf of its clients,” the platform said in a recent statement .
In response to the breach, Catalyx has halted all crypto and fiat currency withdrawals as well as trading activities on its platform.
The Alberta Securities Commission issued an order on December 21, instructing the exchange to cease all trading and launching an investigation into the security incident.
Catalyx has tapped consulting firm Deloitte to assist with the investigation and determine the extent of the losses.
As of now, visitors to the official Catalyx website are greeted with a warning banner indicating “technical difficulties” and promising to notify users when regular functions are restored.
The Calgary-based exchange was established in 2018 by CEO Jae Ho Lee and is registered with Canada’s national financial intelligence agency, FINTRAC.
Earlier in May 2021, during a broader bull market, Catalyx reported a monthly trading volume of $28 million, marking a significant 73% increase compared to the previous month.
However, current public data on the exchange’s reserves or trading volume is not available on crypto data aggregators.
Aside from Catalyx, MEXC has also been