Throughout history, some of the most audacious criminal operations have resulted in the theft of billions of dollars in cash, gold, diamonds, jewellery, priceless artworks and digital assets. From meticulously planned bank robberies and museum burglaries to sophisticated cyberattacks targeting global cryptocurrency exchanges, these heists have exposed extraordinary security vulnerabilities and demonstrated the scale of organised criminal networks.
While some involved elaborate tunnels, insider assistance and carefully coordinated escape plans, others exploited weaknesses in banking infrastructure and digital financial systems. The emergence of cryptocurrency theft has dramatically changed the scale of modern heists, with individual attacks now surpassing even the most notorious physical robberies in history.
Here are the top 20 biggest heists in history.
| Rank | Heist | Location | Year | Estimated value |
| 1. | Binance cryptocurrency heist | Online | 2026 | $6.3 billion |
| 2. | Bybit cryptocurrency heist | Online | 2025 | $1.46 billion |
| 3. | Central Bank of Iraq heist | Baghdad, Iraq | 2003 | $920 million |
| 4. | Ronin Network hack | Online | 2022 | $620 million |
| 5. | Poly Network hack | Online | 2021 | $611 million |
| 6. | BNB Chain bridge hack | Online | 2022 | $586 million |
| 7. | Coincheck cryptocurrency heist | Tokyo, Japan | 2018 | $534 million |
| 8. | Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist | Boston, USA | 1990 | $500 million |
| 9. | Van Gogh Museum art theft | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1991 | $500 million |
| 10. | FTX cryptocurrency theft | Bahamas / Online | 2022 | $477 million |
| 11. | Mt. Gox Bitcoin theft | Tokyo, Japan | 2011-2014 | $473 million |
| 12. | Dar es Salaam Investment Bank robbery | Baghdad, Iraq | 2007 | $282 million |
| 13. | Harry Winston jewellery heist | Paris, France | 2008 | $118 million |
| 14. | Antwerp Diamond Centre heist | Antwerp, Belgium | 2003 | $100 million |
| 15. | Schiphol Airport diamond heist | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2005 | $100 million |
| 16. | Securitas depot robbery | Tonbridge, UK | 2006 | $92 million |
| 17. | Bangladesh Bank cyber heist | Dhaka, Bangladesh | 2016 | $81 million |
| 18. | Banco Central burglary | Fortaleza, Brazil | 2005 | $70 million |
| 19. | Brink’s-Mat robbery | London, UK | 1983 | $40 million |
| 20. | Great Train Robbery | Buckinghamshire, UK | 1963 | $7.3 million |
