- Major cryptocurrency lending firm Celsius Network filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday.
- Celsius froze all withdrawals last month as digital assets plummeted.
- “This is the right decision for our community and company,” CEO Alex Mashinsky said.
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Celsius Network initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings on Wednesday — making it the latest high-profile firm to collapse in the ongoing crypto crash.
The troubled crypto lender, which managed $11 billion worth of assets and had around 1.7 million users in May, will undergo restructuring as it tries desperately to stabilise its business.
“This is the right decision for our community and company,” Celsius chief executive and co-founder Alex Mashinsky said. “We have a strong and experienced team in place to lead Celsius through this process.”
Crypto is suffering a major sell-off this year as investors rotate away from risk assets. Bitcoin and ethereum have plummeted 58% and 71%, respectively in 2022.
Celsius froze all of its customers’ accounts on June 13, blaming “extreme market conditions” as major tokens plunged. The exchange Voyager Digital and the crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital both also filed for bankruptcy last week after suffering massive losses and a liquidity crunch.
Celsius has previously been criticised for offering investors yields up to 14% on tokens such as solana, polkadot, and its native token cel — way above interest payable on a savings account or most other traditional investments.
