Digital Currency Group
Opinion: Digital Currency Group’s Genesis implosion: What comes next?
It looks as if the bear cycle is going to claim another high-profile crypto company. On Jan. 19, Digital Currency Group’s (DCG’s) lending subsidiary, Genesis, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Here we have yet another industry giant with a tale of incestuous lending, little risk management to speak of and opaque reporting policies. For market participants, the gathering storm clouds at DCG represent a failure that would have been unthinkable in 2021. Founded by CEO Barry Silbert in 2015, DCG has become a mainstay in crypto’s short existence. Genesis’ filing revealed the full extent of creditors affected by its implosion, which notably included Gemini, the crypto exchange created by Winklevoss twins Cameron and Tyler, to which Genesis said it owed $765 million; metaverse project Decent...
Crypto Biz: SBF’s newest Excel spreadsheet reveals all
Large enterprise businesses spend tons of money keeping track of their financial dealings — think accountants, financial analysts, consultants and enterprise-grade accounting software. Sam Bankman-Fried, meanwhile, used Microsoft Excel. On Jan. 17, in another sloppy Excel spreadsheet, SBF revealed that FTX US was solvent. The Excel file purportedly showed customer balances, bank deposits and assets held in cold storage. “S&C forgot to include bank balances” of roughly $428 million, SBF said, referring to FTX’s former legal counsel Sullivan & Cromwell. “Once you add those back in, you get in the neighborhood of my prior balance sheet” of around $350 million, he said. This week’s Crypto Biz explores the “Herculean investigative effort” to identify billions in liquid FTX assets....
Genesis’ bankruptcy filing was decided by independent committee, according to DCG
In a Jan. 20 statement, Genesis Capital’s parent company, Digital Currency Group (DCG), denied involvement in Genesis’ bankruptcy filing. According to DCG, a special committee of independent directors recommended and decided to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Filing for Chapter 11 will allow Genesis to seek the reorganization of debts, assets and other business activities. The company estimated liabilities of $1 billion to $10 billion, along with assets in the same range. DCG noted in the statement: “Genesis has its own independent management team, legal counsel, and financial advisors, and appointed a special committee of independent directors, who are in charge of the Genesis Capital restructuring, and who recommended and decided that Genesis Capital file chapt...
Grayscale files brief in ETF suit against SEC, oral arguments may come within months
Grayscale filed a reply brief in its appeal of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) denial of its application to convert its $12-billion Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) into a spot-based Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF). The brief, filed in the District of Columbia Circuit Court, addressed points made in the SEC reply brief filed in December and restated its own arguments. The SEC based its decision on findings that Grayscale’s proposal did not sufficiently protect against fraud and manipulation. The agency had made similar findings in a number of earlier applications to create spot-based BTC ETFs. 1/ As part of our suit challenging the SEC’s decision to deny $GBTC conversion to a spot #bitcoin #ETF, @Grayscale just filed our Reply Brief with the DC Circu...
Digital Currency Group under investigation by U.S. authorities: Report
Crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group, or DCG, are under investigation by the United States Department of Justice’s Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), according to a Bloomberg report. The authorities are digging into internal transfers between DCG and its subsidiary crypto lending firm Genesis Global Capital, noted the report citing people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors have already requested interviews and documents from both the companies, while the SEC is running an early-stage similar inquiry. As of yet, no indictment has been brought against DCG, nor have both U.S. authorities provided any information about the case. According to a spokesperson for DCG, the company was unaware of the investigation. “DCG h...
Crypto lender Genesis has no solution yet for withdrawal halts
Crypto lending platform Genesis has informed its customers that its withdrawal freeze is likely to last “additional weeks” amid efforts to stave off a potential bankruptcy filing. In a Dec. 7 letter to its customers shared by Genesis to Cointelegraph, interim CEO Derar Islim — who took the temporary helm of the company in August — said it will be weeks for them to formulate a recovery plan that could see withdrawals reopened, stating: “At this point, we anticipate that it will take additional weeks rather than days for us to arrive at a path forward.” The letter also stated that Genesis is “working in consultation with highly experienced advisors” and are “evaluating the most effective path to preserve client assets, strengthen our liquidity, and ultimately move our business forward.” “All...
Disaster looms for Digital Currency Group thanks to regulators and whales
The cryptocurrency tide is flowing out, and it looks more and more like Digital Currency Group (DCG) has been skinny dipping. But let’s be clear: The current crypto contagion isn’t a failure of crypto as a technology or long-term investment. DCG’s problem is one of failure by regulators and gatekeepers. Since its 2013 inception, DCG’s Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), the largest Bitcoin (BTC) trust in the world, has offered investors the ability to earn a high rate of interest — above 8% — simply by purchasing cryptocurrency and lending it to or depositing it with DCG. In many ways, the company performed a major service to the crypto industry: making investments into crypto understandable and lucrative for beginners and retail investors. And during the crypto market’s bull run, everything s...
Why is Bitcoin price down today?
Bitcoin (BTC) price accelerated its sell-off on Nov. 21 to hit a new yearly low at $15,654. The move follows a market-wide decline that was catalyzed by investors running for the hills in fear that the FTX-induced contagion would infect every corner of the crypto sector. Stocks also closed the day in the red, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq down 1% and the S&P 500 losing 0.42% on the back of investors’ concerns about rising interest rates. Data from Coinglass shows over $100 million in leverage longs were liquidated on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 as investors fear an accelerated sell-off if Digital Currency Group (DCG) and BlockFi fail to secure funding and are forced to declare bankruptcy. BTC open interest by strike price. Coinglass Some analysts are betting on Bitcoin price declining below...
Genesis denies ‘imminent’ plans to file for bankruptcy
Cryptocurrency lending company Genesis has refuted speculation that it is planning an “imminent” bankruptcy filing should it fail to cover a $1 billion shortfall caused by the fall of crypto exchange FTX. The firm has reportedly faced difficulties raising money for its lending unit and told investors it would have to file for bankruptcy, according to a Nov. 21 Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter. A spokesperson for Genesis told Cointelegraph that there were no plans to file for bankruptcy “imminently” and that it continued to have “constructive” discussions with creditors. “We have no plans to file bankruptcy imminently. Our goal is to resolve the current situation consensually without the need for any bankruptcy filing. G...
Moonvember kicks off with sweeping staff layoffs across crypto
The crypto and tech industry has seen a slew of staff cuts this week against a backdrop of difficult market conditions, though on a positive note, some are bucking the trend. Crypto companies, including crypto exchanges, venture capital firms and blockchain developers, have been forced to reduce headcount in order to stay nimble amid the bear market. Some, however, have done the opposite, opening up offices in new locations and markets. It comes a few weeks after multiple high-level executives, such as OpenSea’s former chief financial officer, Kraken’s co-founder Jesse Powell and Ripple Labs’ engineering director, have all made headlines for either exiting or stepping down from their roles in the space. Stripe cuts around 1,000 staff Patrick Collison, CEO of payments processor Stripe...
Grayscale launches smart contract fund for Ethereum competitors
Digital asset manager Grayscale Investments has unveiled a new cryptocurrency fund dedicated to smart contract platforms excluding Ethereum, underscoring growing investor appetite for alternative blockchain networks. The Grayscale Smart Contract Platform Ex-Ethereum Fund, also known by the ticker symbol GSCPxE, is the company’s 18th investment product. The fund will provide exposure to seven smart contract platforms at the following weightings: Cardano (ADA): 24.63% Solana (SOL): 24.27% Avalanche (AVAX): 16.96% Polkadot (DOT): 16.16% Polygon (MATIC): 9.65% Algorand (ALGO): 4.27% Stellar (XLM): 4.06% Grayscale said the new fund is now open for daily subscription by accredited investors. Ethereum’s dominance as the premier smart contract platform is being challenged by competitors that...
Crypto Biz: Another billionaire admits he was wrong about Bitcoin, Feb. 25–Mar. 3
After spending years ridiculing Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, Wall Street’s billionaire class is finally warming up to the idea of virtual assets powering the digital economy. This week, Citadel founder and billionaire Ken Griffin formally backtracked on his anti-crypto stance as he announced that his firm would begin offering digital assets to its clients. Of course, Griffin isn’t the only wealthy investor to have a change of heart, so we’re not going to bust his chops too much. So, while crypto analysts continue to debate about whether we are in a bull or bear market, institutions, venture capitalists and ordinary people continue to adopt digital assets. As we see in Eastern Europe, trustless money like Bitcoin offers a unique value proposition in times of geopolitical uncertainty and conf...
