Bankrupt crypto lending firm Genesis has moved 16,600 BTC and 166,300 ETH worth over $1.6 billion, bringing the firm closer to repaying creditors. Blockchain analytics platform Arkham Intelligence shared details about the movement of on-chain funds earlier on Friday. Arkham added that Genesis will likely repay creditors in kind (cryptocurrencies) instead of fiat currencies.
BREAKING: GENESIS MOVING $1.5B BTC + ETH FOR CREDITOR REPAYMENTS
Wallets linked with Genesis Trading have moved 16.6K BTC ($1.1B) and 166.3K ETH ($521.1M) in the past hour – likely for in-kind repayments to creditors.
BTC: bc1qmetf6pu6ghr6fv92209sw5x9t5999562t8wmux
ETH:… pic.twitter.com/5Jtxqx8mxT— Arkham (@ArkhamIntel) August 2, 2024
Although this is good news for the affected customers, the reimbursement plan may negatively impact the affected cryptocurrencies’ market value.
Genesis to Repay $3B
Genesis’ woes date back to 2022 when its crypto lending business crumbled after the downfall of hedge fund Three Arrows Capital and crypto exchange FTX. In January 2023, the firm filed for bankruptcy and revealed that it had over 100,000 creditors and liabilities worth between $1.2 billion and $11 billion. Genesis has struggled to reimburse its creditors ever since.
The troubled crypto lender revealed that it owed over $3.5 billion to its 50 top creditors. In May, the firm secured court approval to distribute $3 billion to creditors, representing 77% of the funds. Still, its parent company, Digital Currency Group (DCG), was excluded from the list of creditors to be reimbursed.
The latest funds transfers indicate that Genesis is soon to commence repayments. This move aligns the crypto lender with other crypto-based firms, like FTX, which are also working towards creditors’ repayments. Last month, defunct Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox began repaying its creditors part of their funds stuck for roughly a decade.
Impact on Crypto Market
Concerns about Genesis funds’ movement have partly triggered a price fall for the two leading cryptocurrencies. At the time of writing, BTC sold for $63,000, representing a 6.4% price decrease in the past week. ETH, on its part, plunged to $3,000, indicating a 6.85% downtrend over the past week.