Security Token Exchange

If there weren’t already enough moving parts in the ongoing Celsius Network bankruptcy, things just got even more complex with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) just filing a lawsuit of its own against the floundering lender.  Notably, the ex-CEO of the bankrupt was also arrested as investigations into the company’s collapse continue. According to reports, this arrest occurred early July 13th.

Rise and Fall of Celsius Network

For those unaware, Celsius Network was a prominent crypto-lender that grew in popularity due to its high-interest rates on digital asset deposits. However, it crashed spectacularly along with various of its rivals due to the TerraUSD stablecoin debacle and the sector-wide slump that followed.  As a result, Celsius incurred a substantial financial deficit, leaving itself incapable of handling the surge in customer withdrawal requests – often referred to as a ‘bank run’.

Fraud and Misleading Conduct

Now, in this most recent lawsuit filed by the SEC against Celsius, the company and ex-CEO Alex Mashinsky are being charged with a variety of securities violations, including fraud.

While nothing has manifested as of yet, Bloomberg also reported that Mashinsky and Celsius Network could face another lawsuit by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which believes that the company and its CEO at the time violated regulatory rules by misleading investors.

In the past, Celsius Network’s founder and ex-CEO, Alex Mashinsky, has come under scrutiny for withdrawing $10M shortly before the freezing of customer assets by the platform. While Celsius representatives have argued that this was done to pay taxes, the timing aroused skepticism, leading to further investigations.

Altcoin Liquidation and Market Pressure

Celsius Network’s ongoing restructuring process involves bankruptcy protection filing and asset sale to investment group Fahrenheit.  Since Celsius filed for bankruptcy, most of the company’s altcoins have lost value. Celsius’ native token, CEL, experienced a particularly steep drop in value, further complicating liquidation efforts.  In an effort to maintain the value of these assets, Celsius was recently granted approval to liquidate its altcoin holdings for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).  Recently, we touched on how this move could exert significant pressure on certain corners of the digital asset market, especially considering the company’s substantial holdings.  It is not known at this time how, or if at all, this new lawsuit will affect any asset conversions.