Some of the world ’s biggest bank robberies have involved not just organised criminals, but wars, political instability and highly coordinated insider operations, with losses ranging from tens of millions to nearly $1 billion.

According to records documented by Guinness World Records and financial reporting archives, including World Finance, the largest known bank robbery in history remains the 2003 theft from the Central Bank of Iraq, where more than $920 million was stolen in the chaotic days surrounding the Iraq War.

Iraq Heist Remains the Largest on Record

The Central Bank of Iraq robbery unfolded shortly before the United States-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

According to reports widely cited by Guinness World Records, Saddam Hussein allegedly sent his son Qusay Hussein to withdraw approximately $920 million in cash from the central bank using handwritten notes shortly before coalition forces entered Baghdad.

Much of the money was later recovered by U.S. troops hidden inside palace walls, although large sums remain unaccounted for.

The robbery continues to be regarded as the largest bank theft ever recorded.

Dar es Salaam Heist Shocked East Africa

Among the largest modern commercial bank robberies was the Dar es Salaam Bank heist in Iraq, estimated at roughly $282 million.

The case highlighted growing concerns over corruption, weak institutional oversight and the vulnerability of financial systems in conflict-affected regions.

Financial crime experts say some of the largest robberies in history succeeded not through sophisticated hacking, but through insider access and political instability.

Britain’s Most Famous Vault Robberies

Several of the world’s most notorious heists took place in the United Kingdom.

The 1987 Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery in London saw Italian criminal Valerio Viccei and accomplices steal an estimated $97 million worth of cash, jewellery and valuables after gaining access to safety deposit vaults by posing as customers.

Meanwhile, the 2006 Securitas depot robbery in Kent became Britain’s largest cash theft, with armed criminals stealing approximately £53 million, equivalent to around $83 million at the time. Many of those involved were later arrested, though part of the money was never recovered.

Brazil’s Underground Bank Burglary

In Brazil, the 2005 Banco Central burglary became famous for the method used rather than sheer violence.

A criminal gang spent months digging a tunnel beneath the city of Fortaleza before stealing roughly $71.6 million from the Central Bank of Brazil.

Authorities later described the operation as one of the most technically elaborate bank robberies ever conducted.

Northern Ireland’s Political Shadow

The 2004 Northern Bank robbery in Belfast resulted in the theft of around £26.5 million, equivalent to roughly $41 million at the time.

The robbery drew international attention amid allegations of involvement by paramilitary groups linked to the Irish republican movement, claims that were politically sensitive during Northern Ireland’s peace process.

The latest example came in 2026, when Polish YouTube collective ŁatwoGang reportedly raised an extraordinary $68.9 million in just nine days , setting a new benchmark for creator-led fundraising events.

The figure eclipses previous records set by France’s ZEvent, one of Europe’s most successful charity streaming marathons, and reflects the growing influence of digital creators in mobilising global audiences.

French livestream charity event ZEvent has become one of the most recognised fundraising initiatives in the online creator economy.

Founded by French streamers Adrien “ZeratoR” Nougaret and Alexandre “Dach” Dachary, the event brings together dozens of creators annually to raise money for humanitarian and environmental causes.

According to organisers and reporting from BBC News , the 2021 edition raised more than €10 million for Action Against Hunger, becoming one of the largest charity streaming campaigns ever recorded at the time. Subsequent editions continued to grow rapidly, with the 2025 event reportedly generating nearly $19 million within three days.

The event’s success has highlighted the power of livestream communities to convert audience engagement directly into donations at unprecedented speed.

In the United States, creators have also begun testing the limits of online fundraising.

A 2025 livestream collaboration involving YouTube creator MrBeast and streamer Adin Ross reportedly generated approximately $12 million in just 18 hours, demonstrating how major internet personalities can attract audiences comparable to large broadcast events.

MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is widely recognised for blending philanthropy with entertainment content and has built one of the world ’s largest YouTube audiences, with hundreds of millions of subscribers across platforms, according to Forbes.

Platforms such as Twitch, YouTube and Kick are increasingly functioning as large-scale fundraising infrastructure rather than simply entertainment services.

Data from Streams Charts shows charity livestreams consistently rank among the highest-engagement online events globally, often attracting millions of cumulative viewing hours and international participation.

Industry analysts say the format succeeds because livestreaming combines entertainment, direct audience interaction and real-time donation tracking, creating a sense of collective participation difficult to replicate through traditional fundraising methods.

Charity streaming first gained traction through gaming communities in the late 2010s, but has since expanded far beyond esports audiences.

One of the earliest large-scale examples came from Twitch streamer DrLupo, who raised nearly $900,000 in 24 hours in 2019 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Over five years, his fundraising efforts surpassed $10 million, according to campaign records and Twitch reporting.

Since then, creator-led charity events have broadened to include music, politics, lifestyle content and global humanitarian campaigns.

“The Emergency Committee agreed that the situation is a public health emergency of international concern, but is not a pandemic emergency,” he said.

The latest outbreak has presented unusual challenges for health authorities because laboratory analysis confirmed that it is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

Existing vaccine stockpiles were developed for the more common Zaire strain, leaving international response teams without the main preventative tools used in previous outbreaks.

“With respect to Merck’s ‘Vibo’, which is the licensed Ebola Zaire virus vaccine, that is a vaccine for Ebola Zaire disease. It is not a vaccine for Bundibugyo,” explained WHO senior adviser Dr Vasee Moorthy.

Health officials said the outbreak initially emerged in the remote mining communities of Mongbwalu and Rwampara in eastern Congo, but cases have since been detected in urban centres, including Goma, a major regional transit hub.

Cross-border transmission has also been confirmed after Uganda reported two Ebola-positive travellers arriving from the DRC in Kampala.

WHO technical officer Anais Legand said response teams were now focused on preparing treatment centres and launching clinical trials for potential therapies.

“Our priority right now is to help set up the platform, starting with a safe and optimised treatment centre, good patient referral pathways to ensure that every suspected case can be early detected and cared for,” she said.

The outbreak comes only months after the DRC declared its 16th Ebola outbreak over in December. That epidemic recorded 64 cases and 45 deaths.

Speaking in Geneva on Tuesday, Ghebreyesus said the situation had prompted an unusual response from the WHO leadership.

“This is the first time that a Director-General has declared a week before convening an emergency committee. I did not do this lightly,” he said. “I am deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic. We will convene the emergency committee today to advise us on temporary recommendations.”

The WHO chief said the outbreak was taking place in an area experiencing large population movements, with displacement adding to the challenge of controlling the virus.

“100 000 people have been newly displaced and in Ebola outbreaks” in the area of the population high movement rate, Ghebreyesus added.

He also warned that the Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment available.

“This epidemic is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus for which there are no vaccines or therapeutics. In the absence of a vaccine, there are many other measures countries can take to stop the spread of this virus and save lives,” Ghebreyesus concluded.

On the same day, Congolese health authorities said the current strain’s “fatality rate is lower than the mortality associated with Ebola Zaire”.

The latest outbreak is the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976. It started in late April in Bunia and the Mungwalu mining zone before spreading into neighbouring Uganda, where one death has been recorded.

Health officials say the Bundibugyo strain is more difficult to identify because its early symptoms are similar to malaria. Although it has a lower fatality rate than the Zaire strain, past outbreaks linked to the virus have recorded mortality rates of up to 50 per cent.

The outbreak comes months after the DRC declared an end to its 16th Ebola outbreak in December. That outbreak recorded 64 cases and 45 deaths.

The country’s deadliest Ebola epidemic, which lasted between 2018 and 2020, claimed nearly 2,300 lives.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has also warned that ongoing rebel violence and large-scale displacement in eastern DRC are making contact tracing and outbreak response efforts more difficult.