Celsius Network Advances Bankruptcy Exit Strategy With Court Approval
Celsius Network, headquartered in New Jersey, initiated Chapter 11 proceedings in July 2022.
Celsius Network, a prominent player in the cryptocurrency lending sphere, achieved a crucial milestone on Monday as a US bankruptcy judge granted permission for the company to pursue creditor endorsement of its bankruptcy exit plan. The scheme envisions Celsius Network emerging from Chapter 11 as a novel entity overseen by its creditors. During a session at the US Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, Judge Martin Glenn authorised Celsius's disclosure statement and solicitation materials. This green light underscores that Celsius has provided ample information to its creditors to facilitate their informed decision-making regarding the proposed restructuring.
Although certain creditors hold reservations about the plan, the official committee mandated to represent junior creditors is in favour of it. They are set to recommend that Celsius customers cast their votes in support of the plan.
Celsius Network, headquartered in New Jersey, initiated Chapter 11 proceedings in July 2022. The move followed a series of cryptocurrency lending companies facing bankruptcy amidst the exponential growth of the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of filing for bankruptcy, Celsius counted approximately 600,000 customers who collectively held around $4.4 billion in interest-bearing Celsius accounts, according to legal documents.
The crux of Celsius's bankruptcy strategy involves reinstating a portion of crypto deposits to retail customers. Concurrently, operational control over the remaining business lines, such as bitcoin mining and staking, will be passed on to the Fahrenheit Group. This consortium encompasses blockchain-oriented venture capital firm Arrington Capital.
As per estimates from Celsius, the majority of their customers, who maintained interest-bearing Earn accounts, are likely to recover about 67% of their assets. Recovery mechanisms comprise the return of liquid cryptocurrency assets like Bitcoin and Ether, equity stakes in the emerging company, and proceeds from post-bankruptcy litigation against the company's founder, Alex Mashinsky, and other pertinent parties. Notably, customers with other types of accounts can anticipate a comparatively higher recovery.
Further catalyzing the transition, Fahrenheit Group will invest $50 million to secure a minority stake in the rejuvenated enterprise. Additionally, they plan to list the stock of the novel entity on the Nasdaq. This strategic move will empower Celsius customers to trade the equity shares allocated to them as part of their bankruptcy recuperation, according to legal documentation.
In the renewed organisational structure, Celsius Network will embark on legal proceedings against founder Alex Mashinsky, who currently faces both US criminal charges and a civil lawsuit in New York. The allegations centre around purportedly misleading customers and artificially inflating the value of the company's proprietary cryptocurrency token. Mashinsky maintains his plea of not guilty.
Celsius creditors hold until September 20 to cast their votes on the restructuring proposition. Subsequently, Celsius intends to pursue the final court approval for its restructuring plan on October 2, as outlined in legal documents.
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