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FTX will return money to most customers less than 2 years after the catastrophic collapse of cryptocurrencies
FTX says nearly all of its customers will get back money they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange’s implosion, and some will get more
From
MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business writer
May 8, 2024, 8:32am ET
• 3 minute reading
FTX says nearly all of its customers will receive money owed back two years after the cryptocurrency exchange’s implosion, and some will receive more.
FTX said in a court filing late Tuesday that it owes about $11.2 billion to its creditors. The exchange estimates it has between $14.5 billion and $16.3 billion to distribute to them.
The statement said that after paying claims in full, the plan provides for the payment of additional interest to creditors, to the extent that funds still remain. The interest rate for most lenders is 9%.
This may be little consolation to investors who were trading cryptocurrency on the stock exchange when it crashed. When FTX sought bankruptcy protection in November 2022, bitcoin was worth $16,080. But cryptocurrency prices have soared as the economy has recovered while FTX’s assets have been sorted out over the past two years. A single bitcoin sold for nearly $62,675 on Tuesday. This equates to a loss of 290%, a little less than if you count the accrued interest, if investors had held on to those coins.
Customers and creditors claiming $50,000 or less will receive about 118% of their debt, under the plan, which was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. This covers approximately 98% of FTX customers.
FTX said it was able to recover funds by monetizing a pool of assets that consisted primarily of proprietary investments held by the Alameda or FTX Ventures businesses or in lawsuits.
FTX was the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency exchange when it filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2022 after experiencing the crypto equivalent of a bank run.
CEO and founder Sam Bankman-Fried resigned when the exchange collapsed. In March he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the massive FTX fraud.
Bankman-Fried was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy — a dramatic fall from a peak of success that included a Super Bowl advertisements, testimony before Congress and celebrity endorsements from stars such as quarterback Tom Brady, basketball point guard Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.
The company has named new CEO John Ray III, a longtime bankruptcy litigator best known for cleaning up the mess created after Enron’s collapse.
“We are pleased to be able to propose a Chapter 11 plan that provides for 100% repayment of bankruptcy claim amounts plus interest to non-government creditors,” Ray said in a prepared statement.
FTX, technically, remains a company but its future is unclear. In early 2023, Ray said he formed a task force to explore reviving FTX.com, the cryptocurrency exchange.
The sordid details of a company run amok that emerged after its assets were seized would hamper almost any company trying to make a comeback, but there may also be different parameters for cryptocurrency exchanges.
Rival cryptocurrency exchange Binance briefly explored acquiring FTX before it collapsed in late 2022. Its founder, and former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, was sentenced last week to four months in prison for looking the other way while criminals used the platform to move money linked to child sex abuse, drug trafficking and terrorism.
Binance is still the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world.
The bankruptcy court will hold a hearing on the dispersal of FTX’s assets on June 25.
News
How Ether Spot ETF Approval Could Impact Crypto Prices: CNBC Crypto World
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CNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and gives viewers a glimpse of what’s to come with high-profile interviews, explainers and unique stories from the ever-changing cryptocurrency industry. On today’s show, Ledn Chief Investment Officer John Glover weighs in on what’s driving cryptocurrency prices right now and how the potential approval of spot ether ETFs could impact markets.
News
Miners’ ‘Capitulation’ Signals Bitcoin Price May Have Bottomed Out: CryptoQuant
According to CryptoQuant, blockchain data shows signs that the Bitcoin mining industry is “capitulating,” a likely precursor to Bitcoin hitting a local price bottom before reaching new highs.
CryptoQuant analyzed metrics for miners, who are responsible for securing the Bitcoin network in exchange for newly minted BTC. As outlined in the market intelligence platform’s Wednesday report, multiple signs of capitulation have emerged over the past month, during which Bitcoin’s price has fallen 13% from $68,791 to $59,603.
One such sign includes a significant drop in Bitcoin’s hash rate, the total computing power that backs Bitcoin. After hitting a record high of 623 exashashes per second (EH/s) on April 27, the hash rate has fallen 7.7% to 576 EH/s, its lowest level in four months.
“Historically, extreme hash rate drawdowns have been associated with price bottoms,” CryptoQuant wrote. In particular, the 7.7% drawdown is reminiscent of an equivalent hash rate drawdown in December 2022, when Bitcoin’s price bottomed at $16,000 before rallying over 300% over the next 15 months.
This latest hash rate drop follows Bitcoin’s fourth cyclical “halving” event in April, which cut the number of coins paid out to miners in half. According to CryptoQuant’s Miner Profit/Loss Sustainability Indicator, this has left miners “mostly extremely underpaid” since April 20, forcing many to shut down mining machines that have now become unprofitable.
CrypotoQuant said that miners faced a 63% drop in daily revenue after the halving, when both Bitcoin block rewards and transaction fee revenues were much higher.
During this time, Bitcoin miners were seen moving coins from their on-chain wallets at a faster rate than usual, indicating that they may be selling their BTC reserves“Daily miner outflows reached their highest volume since May 21,” the company wrote.
Among the sales of Bitcoin miners, whales and national governmentsBitcoin’s price drop in June also hurt Bitcoin’s “hash price,” a metric of Bitcoin Miner Profitability per unit of computing power.
“Average mining revenue per hash (hash price) continues to hover near all-time lows,” CryptoQuant wrote. “Hashprice stands at $0.049 per EH/s, just above the all-time low hashprice of $0.045 reached on May 1st.”
By Ryan-Ozawa.
News
US Congressman French Hill Doubles Down on Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
US lawmaker French Hill has noted that Donald Trump will take a more pro-crypto approach than the current administration. The run-up to the presidential election has seen cryptocurrencies become an issue with lawmakers making huge statements ahead of the polls. Donald Trump has also been reaching out to the industry, making a pro-crypto case.
French Hill Backs Trump’s Pro-Crypto Stance
Republican Congressman French Hill has explained the type of cryptocurrency regulatory framework he believes Donald Trump could adopt in the country. In a recent interview with CNBC, French Hill said that the recently passed FIT21 bill is the type of regulatory framework the Trump administration will adopt in the sector.
#FIT21 passed the House with 71 Democratic votes, it’s exactly the kind of digital asset regulatory framework former President Trump would support if re-elected.
See more on @SquawkCNBC🔽 photo.twitter.com/ceTmU4LApU
— French Hill (@RepFrenchHill) July 3, 2024
THE FIT21 Bill It is intended to protect investors and consumers in the market by establishing clear rules and powers for the various regulators in the sector. According to Hill, Trump will adopt it because it directs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on the specific regulatory framework needed in the market.
“… for people who are innovating and starting a crypto token, a related business, custody of those assets, how to ensure consumer protection, so I think that framework is the right approach and that’s what I’m going to recommend to the President to pass, which is that we have not passed it between now and the end of this Congress.”
He also called Trump an innovative and pro-growth president in financial matters.
Cryptocurrency is going mainstream
This election cycle saw the cryptocurrency industry taking a place in mainstream issues following broader adoption across demographics. From candidates moving toward enthusiasts to recent pro-Congress legislation, cryptocurrencies have become a rallying point for officials. The U.S. regulatory landscape has been criticized for stifling growth due to frequent SEC LawsuitsThis has led executives to push for pro-cryptocurrency laws and raise money for pro-industry candidates.
Read also: Federal Reserve Predicts “AI Will Be Deflationary” to Stimulate Economy
David is a financial news contributor with 4 years of experience in Blockchain and cryptocurrency. He is interested in learning about emerging technologies and has an eye for breaking news. Keeping up to date with trends, David has written in several niches including regulation, partnerships, cryptocurrency, stocks, NFTs, etc. Away from the financial markets, David enjoys cycling and horseback riding.
News
US Court Orders Sam Ikkurty to Pay $84 Million for Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme
A federal court has ordered Jafia LLC and its owner, Sam Ikkurty, to pay nearly $84 million to cryptocurrency investors after ruling that the company was operating a Ponzi scheme.
The ruling, issued by Judge Mary Rowland in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, follows a lawsuit filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 2022 after the fund collapsed.
Judge Rowland found that Ikkurty, based in Portland, Oregon, did numerous false claims on his company’s hedge funds.
These included misleading statements about his trading experience and the promise of high and stable profits. Instead, Ikkurty used funds from new investors to pay off previous investors, a hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.
The Ponzi Scheme
The court found that Ikkurty misappropriated investment funds for personal use without the knowledge of the investors. These funds were used for personal use and were reported as Fraudulent Investmentscausing significant financial losses to customers.
This non-transparent operation violated Transparency Commission regulations, which led to the imposition of a hefty fine to compensate defrauded investors and restore some public confidence in the financial system.
Judge Rowland emphasized that fraudulent activity such as this violates the law and undermines the integrity of modern financial markets. The $84 million award seeks to address the financial harm inflicted on investors and reinforce the importance of legal compliance in cryptocurrency trading.
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