As of 30 October 2026, a proof-of-reserves report answers a simple question in a formal way: does the exchange hold enough of each asset to cover what its customers are owed? It does this by publishing a snapshot of the exchange's wallet holdings, which readers can compare against customer balances. It is a point-in-time picture, not a live feed, so what it shows depends entirely on the date of the snapshot.

That date matters a great deal in the Binance case. The most recent snapshot before the breach was dated 1 October 2026, and it included a wallet known as Binance 14. At that point, ETH backing was reported at 100 percent, meaning the ether held matched the ether owed to customers at the time of that snapshot.

What a snapshot can and cannot prove

The breach on 29 October 2026 changed the picture between snapshots. Around 204,500 ETH was reported moved from Binance 14, and ETH backing was reported afterwards at near 94 percent, down from 100 percent on 1 October. The gap between those two percentages is the simplest way to see, in one asset, what the theft did to backing before any replacement.

A beginner should also note what a proof-of-reserves snapshot does not do. It does not prove, by itself, that every individual account is whole, and it does not show transactions after its date. A snapshot from 1 October cannot describe a theft on 29 October, which is why the next snapshot carries so much weight.

That next snapshot is due on 1 November 2026. Readers will be looking at it for one thing above all: whether the stolen assets were replaced. If backing for affected assets returns toward the levels shown on 1 October, that would be visible in the new snapshot. If it does not, that too would be visible.

Three dates that matter

The snapshot also sits alongside other reported figures that help readers judge scale. The breach is estimated at about $6.3 billion, the largest crypto theft on record, ahead of the $1.5 billion Bybit theft in 2025. About $3 billion has been frozen so far, including $2.3 billion in USDT and USDC. Those figures describe the incident and the containment effort, while the reserves snapshot will describe the exchange's holdings.

Binance co-CEO Yi He has said all losses will be covered from company funds and the SAFU emergency fund, which holds about $1 billion in bitcoin, and that user funds are safe. A statement and a snapshot are different kinds of evidence: the first is a promise about what will happen, and the second is a published record of what is held. The 1 November snapshot is the point at which readers can check the second against the first.

Until then, the sensible way to read the reserves story is in three dates: 1 October, when ETH backing stood at 100 percent; 29 October, when the breach was reported; and 1 November, when the next snapshot is due. The investigation is ongoing and figures are preliminary, so readers should rely on official Binance channels for confirmed updates.

Frequently asked questions

FAQ: What is proof of reserves? A published snapshot of an exchange's holdings, used to check whether customer balances are backed. What did the 1 October report show? ETH backing at 100 percent, including the wallet known as Binance 14. Why does the 1 November snapshot matter? It will show whether stolen assets were replaced after the 29 October breach.