A year-end wager for $80,000 Bitcoin (BTC) might seem entirely off the table now, but not so much back in March as BTC rallied to $48,000. Unfortunately, the two-week 25% gains that culminated with the $48,220 peak on March 28 were followed by a brutal bear market. It is important to highlight that the U.S. stock market likely has driven those events, as the S&P 500 index peaked at 4,631 on March 29 but traded down 21% to 3,640 by mid-June. Moreover, such a date coincides with the centralized cryptocurrency lender Celsius issues, which halted withdrawals on June 12, and …

Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, borrowed over $546 million from the exchange’s sister firm Alameda Research to fund his purchase of Robinhood shares. Those same shares were later used by Bankman-Fried as collateral for a loan taken by Alameda from BlockFi, one of the entities that are laying claim to the shares. An affidavit by Bankman-Fried filed in the Antigua and Barbuda High Court on Dec. 12 — the day of his arrest — and made public on Dec. 27, revealed he and FTX co-founder Zixiao “Gary” Wang took out the loans from Alameda through four …

The recent bankruptcy filing of Bitcoin (BTC) miner Core Scientific despite a $72M relief offer from creditors raised questions about the overall health of the bitcoin mining community amid a prolonged bear market. Turns out, the public bitcoin miners owe more than $4 billion in liabilities and require an immediate restructuring to get out of the unsustainably high debt levels. The Bitcoin mining community took up massive loans during the 2021 bull market, negatively impacting their bottom lines during a subsequent bear market. Bitcoin mining data analytics by Hashrate Index show that just the top 10 Bitcoin mining debtors cumulatively …

Never underestimate how quickly things can deteriorate in a sector as volatile as crypto, especially in a bear market. Prices can always go lower in the depts of crypto winter and casualties can multiply overnight. 2022 has been a year of never-ending contagion; with everyone focused on Binance, high-profile Bitcoin (BTC) miners were going bust. This week, mining company Core Scientific filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Greenridge, another miner, received a $74 million debt restructuring lifeline from New York Digital Investment Group. Bitcoin is the most valuable commodity in a bear market, but miners must keep the lights on. The …

A U.S. bankruptcy court has granted Bitcoin (BTC) miner Core Scientific interim approval to access a $37.5 million loan from existing creditors to fund the firm amid its liquidity issues. Core Scientific is one of the largest cryptocurrency mining companies in the United States, but filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 21 as a result of rising energy costs, declining revenue and the price of BTC in 2022. In a public statement made on that same day, Core Scientific outlined that it intends to “move swiftly through the restructuring process” and maintain its self-mining and hosting operations. The loan …

After taking pitches from many law firms, the nine-member committee representing unsecured creditors of the disgraced crypto exchange FTX has decided on a legal adviser, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 21. Global law firm Paul Hastings LLP was hired to look after the interests of unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy case, including millions of FTX's customers. According to sources from the newspaper, a process to select a financial adviser is also underway. The committee of FTX creditors was appointed on Dec. 16 by the U.S. Justice Department. Its members include companies in the cryptocurrency sector, such as Pulsar …

More than one million creditors of failed crypto exchange FTX have been waiting to be made whole since before the firm’s bankruptcy filing on Nov. 11, but according to one expert, recipients of donations and contributions may have a legal means of returning the funds directly to investors and customers. Louise Abbott, a partner at United Kingdom-based firm Keystone Law, told Cointelegraph it was “extremely unlikely” FTX would have a legal leg to stand on in its demands for the voluntary return of political campaign donations, grants, and other contributions the firm made prior to its bankruptcy. However, many individuals …

Just days after creditors offered to help Core Scientific — a Bitcoin (BTC) mining company — avoid possible bankruptcy, reports emerged confirming the business’ inevitable fate. Core Scientific reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Texas owing to falling revenue and BTC prices. On Dec. 14, Financial services platform B. Riley offered to finance Core Scientific with $72 million — $42 million with zero contingencies and $32 million with conditions — to retain the value for stakeholders. The decision was made after Core’s valuation fell from $4.3 billion in July 2021 to $78 million at the time of reporting. …

Bankrupt crypto lender Celsius Network has attracted 30 potential bidders over its various assets including its retail platform and mining business. According to a company presentation filed on Dec. 20, more than 125 parties were contacted since September, with 30 potential bidders executing non-disclosure agreements — a legal contract used to protect sensitive information about a company or the bidding terms — typically required during negotiations. Celsius said that so far, it has received multiple bids proposing a variety of potential transaction and business structures to acquire its assets — such as migrating Celsius customers to the acquirer’s platform along …

Bankrupt crypto lending platform BlockFi has filed a motion requesting authority from the United States Bankruptcy Court to allow its users to withdraw digital assets currently locked up in BlockFi Wallets. In a motion filed on Dec .19 with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of New Jersey, the lender asked the court for authority to honor client withdrawals from wallet accounts as of the platform’s pause on Nov. 10. As part of our presentation in Court, we also expressed our intention to request approval from the Court to restore withdrawal activities for BlockFi Wallet accounts. — BlockFi (@BlockFi) …

Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX says it is considering using legal avenues to recover all payments and contributions handed out by its associated entities and former executives, which could include the millions in political donations made from its former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. In a Dec. 19 press statement, FTX said it had already “been approached by a number of recipients of contributions or other payments” that were made by, or at the direction of Sam Bankman-Fried or other officers, adding those entities have sought “directions for the return of such funds.” Sharing our press release just issued: FTX Debtors Announce Process …

Five wallets tied to the defunct Canadian cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX, previously thought to be inaccessible, have just been spotted moving around $1.7 million worth of Bitcoin after years of dormancy. Crypto researcher ZachXBT alerted the crypto community in a Twitter post on Dec. 19, highlighting the five wallets have transferred around 104 Bitcoin (BTC) on Dec. 17 to various wallets. Blockchain records show the wallets had not sent BTC since at least April 2018. Five wallets attributed to QuadrigaCX unexpectedly moved ~104 BTC on Dec 17 for the first time in years. 1ECUQLuioJbFZAQchcZq9pggd4EwcpuANe 1J9Fqc3TicNoy1Y7tgmhQznWrP5AVLXj9R 1MhgmGaHwLAvvKVyFvy6zy9pRQFXaxwE9M 1HyYMMCdCcHnfjwMW2jE4cv9qVkVDFUzVa 1JPtxSGoekZfLQeYAWkbhBhkr2VEDADHZB — ZachXBT (@zachxbt) …