FTX Granted Permission to Sell $3.4B in Crypto Holdings by US Court

FTX Granted Permission to Sell $3.4B in Crypto Holdings by US Court

Time Stamp: September 13, 2023 2:45 PM
FTX Granted Permission to Sell $3.4B in Crypto Holdings by US Court PlatoBlockchain Data Intelligence. Vertical Search. Ai.

In a significant development, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for
the District of Delaware has granted crypto exchange FTX permission to sell,
invest, and hedge its crypto holdings, valued at over $3.4 billion, to settle
outstanding debt.

This ruling comes after FTX’s legal team filed a request for
authorization to engage in the sale of the digital assets, citing the benefits
of hedging crypto assets and generating returns from staking certain digital
assets for the creditors.

Judge John Dorsey presided over the court hearing, where he not only approved the motion but also overruled objections raised by two parties opposing the plan. This pivotal decision allows FTX to initiate the process of selling, staking

, and hedging its substantial crypto holdings.

In a bid to address concerns raised by the U.S. Trustee, the
bankruptcy

branch of the Department of Justice, FTX amended its proposal to
sell billions of dollars in crypto assets yesterday (Tuesday). The original
plan faced objections from the U.S. Trustee, who argued that intentions to sell
Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH) should be widely publicized to allow others the
opportunity to object.

However, under the new proposal, FTX aims to avoid issuing advance public notices of transactions, primarily due to the impact it could have on the market. The mere prospect of a major crypto player offloading up to $100 million in assets each week has already had a chilling effect on crypto prices, Coindesk reported.

To find a middle ground, FTX has agreed to keep the U.S. Trustee privately informed about its transactions, thereby addressing the concerns raised by the regulatory body. This information sharing will extend to committees representing the exchange’s creditors, ensuring transparency in the process. FTX hopes that these adjustments will be sufficient to appease its opponents, as the proposal comes under consideration by Judge John Dorsey in a Delaware courtroom.

FTX.com, its sister firm Alameda Research, and about 130 of its affiliates filed for bankruptcy last November after the misdeeds of its management surfaced. Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and former CEO of FTX, is facing several civil and criminal charges and is now behind bars, awaiting trial. Other top FTX and Alameda executives pled guilty and are cooperating with the investigators.

The charges of the bankrupt exchange were transferred to John J. Ray III, who assumed the role of FTX’s CEO following the bankruptcy filing.

A Massive Crypto Stash

FTX was one of the top crypto exchanges, which grew exponentially. The administrator of FTX first proposed to liquidate the crypto assets with $3.4 billion held by the bankrupt exchange last August. The proposal included a staged sell-off with a limit of $100 million worth of tokens per week, which can be increased to $200 million on an individual token basis. Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital would be appointed as the investment manager responsible for the sale.

As estimated in January 2023, FTX holds $685 million in locked Solana tokens, $529 million in FTT tokens, $268 million in Bitcoin, and $90 million in Ethereum. The bankrupt exchange also has $67 million in Aptos, $42 million in Dogecoin, $39 million in Polygon, and $29 million in XRP, along with stablecoins.

Further, FTX holds an additional $1.2 billion in cryptocurrencies on third-party crypto exchanges. Most recently, fresh court documents revealed $1.6 billion in Solana and $560 million in Bitcoin held by the exchange, along with real-estates in The Bahamas valued at $200 million.

Meanwhile, the administrators of FTX are also evaluating the legality of recouping the endorsement fees paid to several top athletes and sports clubs. The exchange paid $750,000 to the former basketball professional Shaquille O’Neal, more than $300,000 and $270,000 to the Tennis player Naomi Osaka and the former baseball star David Ortiz, respectively, as well as a payment of over $200,000 to the American football quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It further paid about $420,000 to the professional basketball team, the Golden State Warriors, and over $250,000 to the Miami Heat.

In a significant development, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for
the District of Delaware has granted crypto exchange FTX permission to sell,
invest, and hedge its crypto holdings, valued at over $3.4 billion, to settle
outstanding debt.

This ruling comes after FTX’s legal team filed a request for
authorization to engage in the sale of the digital assets, citing the benefits
of hedging crypto assets and generating returns from staking certain digital
assets for the creditors.

Judge John Dorsey presided over the court hearing, where he not only approved the motion but also overruled objections raised by two parties opposing the plan. This pivotal decision allows FTX to initiate the process of selling, staking

, and hedging its substantial crypto holdings.

In a bid to address concerns raised by the U.S. Trustee, the
bankruptcy

branch of the Department of Justice, FTX amended its proposal to
sell billions of dollars in crypto assets yesterday (Tuesday). The original
plan faced objections from the U.S. Trustee, who argued that intentions to sell
Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH) should be widely publicized to allow others the
opportunity to object.

However, under the new proposal, FTX aims to avoid issuing advance public notices of transactions, primarily due to the impact it could have on the market. The mere prospect of a major crypto player offloading up to $100 million in assets each week has already had a chilling effect on crypto prices, Coindesk reported.

To find a middle ground, FTX has agreed to keep the U.S. Trustee privately informed about its transactions, thereby addressing the concerns raised by the regulatory body. This information sharing will extend to committees representing the exchange’s creditors, ensuring transparency in the process. FTX hopes that these adjustments will be sufficient to appease its opponents, as the proposal comes under consideration by Judge John Dorsey in a Delaware courtroom.

FTX.com, its sister firm Alameda Research, and about 130 of its affiliates filed for bankruptcy last November after the misdeeds of its management surfaced. Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and former CEO of FTX, is facing several civil and criminal charges and is now behind bars, awaiting trial. Other top FTX and Alameda executives pled guilty and are cooperating with the investigators.

The charges of the bankrupt exchange were transferred to John J. Ray III, who assumed the role of FTX’s CEO following the bankruptcy filing.

A Massive Crypto Stash

FTX was one of the top crypto exchanges, which grew exponentially. The administrator of FTX first proposed to liquidate the crypto assets with $3.4 billion held by the bankrupt exchange last August. The proposal included a staged sell-off with a limit of $100 million worth of tokens per week, which can be increased to $200 million on an individual token basis. Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital would be appointed as the investment manager responsible for the sale.

As estimated in January 2023, FTX holds $685 million in locked Solana tokens, $529 million in FTT tokens, $268 million in Bitcoin, and $90 million in Ethereum. The bankrupt exchange also has $67 million in Aptos, $42 million in Dogecoin, $39 million in Polygon, and $29 million in XRP, along with stablecoins.

Further, FTX holds an additional $1.2 billion in cryptocurrencies on third-party crypto exchanges. Most recently, fresh court documents revealed $1.6 billion in Solana and $560 million in Bitcoin held by the exchange, along with real-estates in The Bahamas valued at $200 million.

Meanwhile, the administrators of FTX are also evaluating the legality of recouping the endorsement fees paid to several top athletes and sports clubs. The exchange paid $750,000 to the former basketball professional Shaquille O’Neal, more than $300,000 and $270,000 to the Tennis player Naomi Osaka and the former baseball star David Ortiz, respectively, as well as a payment of over $200,000 to the American football quarterback Trevor Lawrence. It further paid about $420,000 to the professional basketball team, the Golden State Warriors, and over $250,000 to the Miami Heat.

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