July 18, 2022
Six lawyers who specialize in bankruptcies have said they are unsure when Celsius customers will be refunded after the crypto lender filed for bankruptcy.
While filing for bankruptcy at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Southern District of New York, Celsius estimated its assets and liabilities as between US$1 billion to US$10 billion, with more than 100,000 creditors.
Lawyers say high-profile lawsuits against the company and the high complexity of any restructuring will delay the process and customers will have to brace themselves for a long ride.
Celsius said in court filings that it has more than 100 creditors, and although the company has released a list of its largest investors, it remains unclear how they would be paid. Most of Celsius’ 1.7 million customers are individual investors.
Chapter 11 bankruptcies allow companies to create turnaround plans while remaining operational, and creditor committees formed as part of bankruptcy proceedings are likely to try to craft a reorganization plan approved by Celsius, three lawyers said.
“It’s probably going to take, given the complexity, six months, at a minimum just to develop a plan to come out of bankruptcy. This is going to be three-dimensional chess,” said Stephen Gannon, a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine.
In June, Celsius froze withdrawals, citing extreme market conditions as a necessary factor for the move. Celsius’ decision left investors without access to their funds and triggered a US$300 billion sell-off of digital assets.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.
