Hong Kong-based Bitfinex said all users would lose 36 per cent of their deposits after the bitcoin exchange concluded its review of a $US71 million ($93 million) hacking attack.

To compensate its customers, Bitfinex said users would receive tokens that could later be redeemed or exchanged for shares in its parent company.

The Chinese yuan is used in about 80 per cent of bitcoin exchange transactions. Credit:Chris Ratcliffe

"After much thought, analysis and consultation, we have arrived at the conclusion that losses must be generalised across all accounts and assets," the exchange wrote on Saturday. "In place of the loss in each wallet, we are crediting a token labelled BFX to record each customer's discrete losses."

Efforts to reach Bitfinex were not immediately successful. A representative of the exchange wrote on Reddit that the 36 per cent loss "applies to all assets across the site, so everyone". The exchange previously said losses would only apply to users who either had bitcoin deposited at the exchange or who were in the process of lending US dollars for margin trading.

On Tuesday, Bitfinex disclosed that hackers stole 119,756 bitcoin, or about $US71 million at current values, from the exchange. It closed down trading, withdrawals and deposits and said it was co-operating with law enforcement and would update the public after its investigation. In the latest blog post, it said it would reopen with limited functionality in the next day or two.

Bitfinex was the largest exchange for US dollar-denominated transactions over the past month, according to bitcoincharts.com, and the attack at one point sent bitcoin's price plunging more than 20 per cent.

Bloomberg