Proactive Investors - FTX’s spectacular collapse caused a reckoning of sorts in the cryptocurrency world.
Almost immediately after Sam Bankman-Fried’s once-influential empire crumbled under the pressure of dodgy internal practices and a bruising bank run, most of the sector’s biggest exchanges pledged to increase transparency and accountability that by rights should have been there in the first place.
Crypto.com was among the platforms pledging to release proof of reserves in due course, yet the Singapore-based company was quick to attract speculation over its financial condition, with various popular accounts on Twitter rabidly predicting its demise.
But it wasn’t just random commentators stroking their chins.
Without naming names, Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao, head of the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance and bit player in FTX’s downfall, made some allusions to “a clear sign of problems” in the industry.
Specifically, he Tweeted: “If an exchange have to move large amounts of crypto before or after they demonstrate their wallet addresses, it is a clear sign of problems. Stay away. Stay #SAFU.” (SAFU is crypto slang for safe.)
If an exchange have to move large amounts of crypto before or after they demonstrate their wallet addresses, it is a clear sign of problems. Stay away. Stay #SAFU. ????— CZ ???? Binance (@cz_binance) November 13, 2022
No, he did not name names, but he clearly alluded to a recent story regarding Crypto.com's accidental transfer of US$400mln worth of ether to China-based exchange Gate.io.
Funds were quickly recovered, though it was not the first such mistake made by the exchange: Earlier in the year, Crypto.com accidentally sent over US$7mln to an Australian woman, who was then ordered by the courts to sell the five-bedroom property she purchased with the bounty.
This, combined with news that Crypto.com has one billion dollars exposed to FTX’s bankruptcy, has caused many customers to rush for the exit.
Crypto.com head Kris Marszalek took to Twitter to discuss Crypto.com’s solvency, while also posting links to the exchange’s bitcoin and ether accounts where by his estimations approximately US$3bn in reserves were being held.
While the Proof of Reserves audit preparation is underway, we are sharing our cold wallet addresses for some of the top assets on our platform.This represents only a portion of our reserves: about 53,024 BTC, 391,564 ETH, and combined with other assets for a total of ~US$ 3.0b
— Kris | Crypto.com (@kris) November 11, 2022
Is rabid speculation leading to the next bank run? Well, volumes are down, though perhaps not irredeemably so.
Data supplied by Nansen shows that in the most recent 24-hour period, Crypto.com handled US$428mln in transaction volumes, approximately 43% of the volumes compared to the same time last month.
It sounds drastic, but a nearly exact drop in volumes was noted on Binance, so wider trends are probably the guiding reason.
As for reserves, we aren’t privy to the full picture, but there is at least partial evidence of at least partial liquidity.
We do know Crypto.com has close to 300,000 ether (ETH) valued at around US$378mln across its accounts, though that number has been steadily decreasing.
Data available on Etherscan shows that one of Crypto.com’s wallets went from 13,500 ETH on Saturday to just 33 ETH today, suggesting the exchange’s customers are scrambling to withdraw funds.
Crypto.com’s ETH reserves take a dive – Source: Etherscan
Assessing Crypto.com’s bitcoin accounts shows a total holding of 47,891 BTC valued at around US$800mln at today’s trading price, which in fairness is in a bearish position.
These holdings are down from 53,000 BTC last week, suggesting around 10% of customers’ BTC-collateralised funds have been taken out of the exchange.
We don’t know the volume of Crypto.com’s full assets under management, but we can see at least US$1.1bn in reserves on chain.
Nansen data gives a total reserve count of US$2.3bn, with some 20% denominated in the Shiba Inu (SHIB) meme coin.
BTC comprises the largest pool of reserves, followed by SHIB and ETH – Source: Nansen
It does seem that a contingent of Crypto.com’s customer base is spooked, but whether they’re righteous or just being compelled by so-called ‘FUD’ (fear, uncertainty and doubt) is a matter of debate.
No one can deny that scrutiny is a good thing, particularly in the unregulated world of cryptocurrency, but the self-fulfilling phenomenon that is the bank run also has its dangers, and one wonders if soon a legitimate company will fall victim to undeserved speculation.
They could do themselves a favour by releasing proof of reserves post haste.
Thankfully there is an easy fix in the meantime: Keep your coins off the exchanges and in a third-party wallet, many of which are free and easy to use.
Marszalek addresses the public
In a live Q&A on YouTube, Chief executive Kris Marszalek assured listeners that the exchange’s native CRO token has never been used as loan collateral, a practice which caused the shock demise of former competitor FTX.
If true, that should come with a massive sigh of relief for stakeholders, given that CRO’s value has tanked over 40% in the past week.
Marszalek also said that of the one billion dollars of exposure his company had to FTX, 90% has been recovered.
One statement did stand out though: Referring to Crypto.com’s sponsoring of the LA Lakers’ home stadium (which changed its name from Staples Centre to Crypto.com Arena in 2021), Marszalek said: “We pay a small amount every year, which amounts to around 10% of our revenue.”
Despite declaring that “this is not crazy compared to other companies”, 10% of company revenues for naming rights to a stadium during a bruising bear market must be a hard sell to even the most optimistic of investors.
Gigantic naming rights deals and Matt Damon-fronted Super Bowl advertisements belie the fact that Crypto.com is actually a small fry in the digital asset exchange sector.
According to CoinMarketCap’s table, which takes into account volumes, liquidity and visitor numbers, Crypto.com ranks as the 16th largest exchange, behind Gate.io and lesser-known platforms such as Bitget, Bithumb and Bybit.
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