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Topic: [List] Crypto exchanges/lending with financial problems (Read 329 times)

legendary
Activity: 1582
Merit: 1284
Updated;

These central platforms did not disappoint me. After what happened to Luna, I thought about creating this topic. So far, more than 3 well-known platforms have gone bankrupt, and the next one may be worse.

I hope you will help me update this topic, as it is considered a "red light" before the disaster occurs, so stay away from any platform present here.



|Genesis |...Genesis files for bankruptcy|.......On January 19, Genesis Global Holdco, LLC and two of its lending business subsidiaries, Genesis Global Capital, LLC and Genesis Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., filed voluntarily petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the Southern District of New York|
| Bybit |...exposed to Genesis (BitcoinTalk discussion topic)|.......Bybit CEO disclosed on his Twitter account that they are indeed exposed to Genesis through there Mirana investment company|

legendary
Activity: 1582
Merit: 1284

I didn't want to add Binance but it seems like there making money from money
|Binance|...~10% of its balance sheet in a total vaporware token|....... Binance is also holding ~10% of its balance sheet in a total vaporware token - just like FTX/Alameda.
|
legendary
Activity: 1582
Merit: 1284
Looks like I'll be updating this list often.
Let's get this winter started, and I hope you can help me keep it updated.

|ftx|...Liquidity problem|....... This will clear out liquidity crunches; all assets will be covered 1:1. This is one of the main reasons we’ve asked Binance to come in.|
legendary
Activity: 2828
Merit: 6108
Jambler.io
It is a micro view of the tech industry in general. Intel / AMD / Nvidia / ARM always have a new thing coming so there is always work for engineers as there is a lot of work for programmers in places like Microsoft / Adobe / Google etc. But smaller shops that are more project based routinely have layoffs.

There is another difference between a lot of those exchanges and the established tech industry, most of them were still running at a loss even during the bullish season but were kept afloat by the enormous amounts they've received from selling their own token and the continuous token printing. Some of those might have been unable to keep their employees paid even if the bear market wouldn't have happened and all this just speed up the round of layoffs rather than seeing one every week or month, which probably nobody would have even mentioned.

Just for the update, it seems the bear market isn't done yet with Gemini. For the second time around in just more than a month, the company has laid off some of its workers. This time, it is 7% which is equivalent to 68 employees. Last June, the company laid off 10% of its workers. And as though this isn't enough, there might be more rounds to follow. Therefore, more employees to lose their jobs.

It would be nice to know what those 68 were doing, and of course what the rest of those 917 are doing right now!
I have a feeling that the majority of the workforce was not actively working in the traditional money-generating business but were more likely employees that came from other companies that have been acquired, or ones spending time on designing future projects which have now been either canceled or deemed financially impossible.

That being said, and this is really a weird question, but aren't these lay-offs actually good for the price?
I'm not joking here but right now this is how I look at the thing:

Company x has 1000 employees and it pays them ~5 million (don't focus on the numbers, I'm just throwing them here), that means it needs to come from somewhere with 60 million a year, Crypto.com paid 100 million in advertising, that money is coming from the fees and token sales, and every time money is paid a large chunk of them gets liquidated into fiat, right?
So basically every year some percentages of the money people spend on investing in coins get turned into fiat to pay for these guys' wages, rent, taxes, advertising and not counting profit!

It's late, it's Friday and I probably can't get my ideas right but this has raised my curiosity on how others see this thing.
legendary
Activity: 1722
Merit: 5937
Don't know if it has been shared someplace else (couldn't find anything on ninjastic.space), but looks like Coinbase has another issue- SEC started investigating whether they listed shitcoins that were actually securities.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating whether Coinbase Global Inc (COIN.O) improperly let Americans trade digital assets that should have been registered as securities, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.

The SEC's scrutiny has increased ever since the crypto trading platform expanded the number of tokens in which it offers trading, Bloomberg report said, citing two sources. (https://bloom.bg/3OyXrBk)

legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 5622
Non-custodial BTC Wallet

|Coinbase|...Coinbase Lay Off 18% of Workers|.......Coinbase reported a $430 million net loss in the first quarter, or $1.98 per share, Revenue was down as trading volumes fell, and active monthly users declined 19% from the fourth quarter.|

Looks like some of those workers have been busy selling insider information:

Quote
https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-charges-former-coinbase-product-manager-over-insider-trading-scheme-2022-07-21/
NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) - A former product manager at Coinbase Global and two others have been charged with wire fraud in the first insider trading case involving cryptocurrency, U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan said on Thursday.

Ishan Wahi, the product manager at the cryptocurrency exchange, and his brother Nikhil Wahi were arrested on Thursday in Seattle.

This is not the first time Coinbase is being charged for insider trading. This happened before in BCH listing (https://techcrunch.com/2017/12/19/coinbase-inside-information-bitcoin-cash-launch/)
staff
Activity: 3402
Merit: 6065
Gemini did a second round of layoffs a couple of days ago and laid off 7% (on top of the first 10%) of their employees: https://fortune.com/2022/07/20/winklevoss-twins-gemini-layoffs-second-round-crypto-winter/
member
Activity: 173
Merit: 74
I never heard about the Zipmex exchange. are they particularly important?

No, I hadn't heard of them either, I don't think they are particularly important because of what you say, but I think they are another company that in a bullish market could hold its own. It's another one even if it's not very important and I thought I'd share it here.

I don't see that they have a significant trading volume or that they take a noticeable share in the market at all. It looks more like another small exchange like Cryptopia, Tradesatoshi, or Livecoin... which bored their owners, so they left with the user's money.

In other words, an exit scam waiting to happen. In the end this will give governments an excuse for stricter regulations and more control.
legendary
Activity: 3458
Merit: 6231
Crypto Swap Exchange
I see this going on for a while until the next 'big thing' in crypto.

Eliminating the fact that the price has fallen so their fees on trades are worth a lot less defi and NFTs are circling the drain. New tokens coming out are down to a trickle and a lot of crypto space is in a holding pattern.

You can justify keeping people around when there is something coming, but if you can't see anything coming for new work / projects they are going to be let go.

It is a micro view of the tech industry in general. Intel / AMD / Nvidia / ARM always have a new thing coming so there is always work for engineers as there is a lot of work for programmers in places like Microsoft / Adobe / Google etc. But smaller shops that are more project based routinely have layoffs.

Now what I think is more important is the percentage. Buenbit cutting 45% of it's workforce is not a good thing. Bullish letting go 10% is not that big a deal.

-Dave
copper member
Activity: 2016
Merit: 1777
฿itcoin for all, All for ฿itcoin.
Today I saw some news about Blockchain.com planning to lay off 25% of their workerforce,
- Mass Layoffs Continue as Blockchain.com Sheds 25% of Workforce

Other notable lay-offs you could be interested to add

1. July 14, 2022: OpenSea Lays Off Roughly 20% of Its Staff
2. July 5, 2022: Crypto Exchange Bullish.com Reportedly Cuts About 10% of Workforce
3. June 28, 2022: Huobi Global Could Cut Over 30% of Workforce as China Crackdown Leads to Fall in Revenue
4. June 27, 2022: Australian Crypto Exchange Banxa Lays Off 70
5. June 24, 2022: European Crypto Exchange Bitpanda Cuts Staff by 270
6. June 20, 2022: Bybit to Reduce Workforce by 30% as Crypto Slump Drives Cost-Cutting Measures
7. June 2, 2022: Middle Eastern Crypto Exchange Rain Lays Off Dozens of Employees: Report
8. May 26, 2022: Top Latin American Crypto Exchange Bitso Lays Off 80 Employees
9. May 24, 2022: Argentinian Crypto Exchange Buenbit Cuts 45%, Roughly 80 People, Due to Tech Industry Downturn
10. April 4, 2022: Crypto Exchange BitMEX Lays Off 75 Workers

Source: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/07/21/crypto-layoffs-opensea-blockchaincom-coinbase-gemini-among-firms-forced-to-make-mass-job-cuts/
legendary
Activity: 3248
Merit: 3098
The list of crypto exchanges forced to lay off workers in the face of a severe bear market is getting longer. Not included in the OP's list are exchanges Bybit and Vauld. The Singapore-based Bybit laid of a staggering 30% of its staff.[2] Vauld, which is also based in Singapore, on the other hand, has also implemented a 30%-lay off to its workers.[3]

Very interesting this for Bybit. on the one hand, they are cutting costs and laying off staff and yet they spend huge money on advertising. I saw their ads on Formula 1, I'm sure advertising there is not cheap.

Crypto Exchange Zipmex Pauses Withdrawals,

I never heard about the Zipmex exchange. are they particularly important?
I don't see that they have a significant trading volume or that they take a noticeable share in the market at all. It looks more like another small exchange like Cryptopia, Tradesatoshi, or Livecoin... which bored their owners, so they left with the user's money.
member
Activity: 173
Merit: 74
The list of crypto exchanges forced to lay off workers in the face of a severe bear market is getting longer. Not included in the OP's list are exchanges Bybit and Vauld. The Singapore-based Bybit laid of a staggering 30% of its staff.[2] Vauld, which is also based in Singapore, on the other hand, has also implemented a 30%-lay off to its workers.[3]

Apart from those and the ones mentioned by the OP, one more can be added to the list:

Crypto Exchange Zipmex Pauses Withdrawals, Citing 'Circumstances Beyond Our Control’

It's a non-stop. I wonder if there is a single one that we can be sure has done things right.
legendary
Activity: 2562
Merit: 1854
🙏🏼Padayon...🙏
Just for the update, it seems the bear market isn't done yet with Gemini. For the second time around in just more than a month, the company has laid off some of its workers. This time, it is 7% which is equivalent to 68 employees. Last June, the company laid off 10% of its workers. And as though this isn't enough, there might be more rounds to follow. Therefore, more employees to lose their jobs.[1]

The list of crypto exchanges forced to lay off workers in the face of a severe bear market is getting longer. Not included in the OP's list are exchanges Bybit and Vauld. The Singapore-based Bybit laid of a staggering 30% of its staff.[2] Vauld, which is also based in Singapore, on the other hand, has also implemented a 30%-lay off to its workers.[3]


[1] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/crypto-exchange-gemini-lays-off-more-employees-in-second-round/articleshow/92972760.cms
[2] https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/20/bybit-crypto-exchange-joins-the-the-list-of-companies-cutting-staff/?
[3] https://inc42.com/buzz/coinbase-backed-indian-crypto-exchange-vauld-lays-off-30-workforce/
copper member
Activity: 2856
Merit: 3071
https://bit.ly/387FXHi lightning theory
There is a difference between 'financial problems' and "the market has changed we don't need you anymore and the even larger profits are down (or negative)" so it's time to reduce headcount. As I posted elsewhere many tech businesses don't do layoffs when they are doing well. It's the keep them around just in case we need them mentality. In this bear market, you can't just keep some people.

It's probably closer to the idea of airports needing more staff in summer and retail needing more staff in autumn/winter.

It probably also depends where these layoffs are happening too, you probably won't be needing as many customer service representatives at this time but just enough of a workforce to keep the business flowing/functioning.

I didn't very much follow the whole Coinbase IPO  thing, but I guess not, so many people would want to buy stocks that are just dropping nonstop. People want to make profits, and this includes even those founders.
Well, I wouldn't say that Coinbase stock price is dropping non stop, but more that is following the crypto market which makes sense as their profit depends on the amount of people trading there. Chances are that once we enter bull market again their stock price will start rising again so yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if their founders are buying the dip.

I don't think they'll be thst in demand for the next bull market though. They publish financial information really far apart to actually look attractive to investors while they are making profits in a bull run. I think I've said before that investing in coinbase is essentially speculating on an asset already being speculated on. They also don't seem to be doing much to innovate either and are quite a basic exchange.

There's the other side to this though that their stock might do like tesco did in the UK (they essentially made huge profits during the pandemic and gave a lot of that money away to their share holders paying a dividend yield of over 30%). Some other companies I've seen in the past have paid a dividend yield of 10% of profits regardless of how much their stock is actually worth (and in the European market, that's often 10-20% of the stock's value). I'm keeping quiet about buybacks because I don't think they're as useful
legendary
Activity: 3458
Merit: 6231
Crypto Swap Exchange
There is a difference between 'financial problems' and "the market has changed we don't need you anymore and the even larger profits are down (or negative)" so it's time to reduce headcount. As I posted elsewhere many tech businesses don't do layoffs when they are doing well. It's the keep them around just in case we need them mentality. In this bear market, you can't just keep some people.

I know someone who was just let go from Gemini. As she put it: Now she gets to spend the summer living off her severance package while doing nothing. As opposed to getting her regular paycheck to do nothing. The project her group was working on ended sometime in late 2021 with the deployment in early 2022. For the last 3 months she joked that her job was head youtube video watcher. So them letting those people go was not a surprise to any of them. BUT had this been a bull market they probably would still be there waiting for the next project while watching videos......


-Dave
legendary
Activity: 2968
Merit: 3406
Crypto Swap Exchange
@Husires
Is this list limited only to global brands or you're fine with listing local brands that operate in a few countries [e.g. Buenbit]?

Curious to see if binance will be hosting cutbacks or anything like that anytime soon.
It's actually the opposite ["they're going to hire more staff"].
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 5622
Non-custodial BTC Wallet
Interesting topic.

Although binance is not really having financial problems,  I found this which is quite problematic with authorities and can really lead to financial problems.

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/finance-crypto-currency-binance/

If binance is really helping out money laundry schemes,  authorities can give really high fines.



My biggest concern about coinbase is their stable coin, usdc.

If they can confiscate customer funds if they need, their stable coin really doesn't mean much in a terrible bear market.
legendary
Activity: 1792
Merit: 1296
keep walking, Johnnie
It looks like crypto-summer is finally over and the crypto exchanges are leaving for the winter. I assume that other crypto exchanges will also follow the example from this list. Not necessarily because of financial problems, but in order to reduce their costs, because revenue has fallen and the exchanges needs to stay afloat. When the market recovers, they will be able to recruit new employees. Curious to see if binance will be hosting cutbacks or anything like that anytime soon. We will follow the news.
 
legendary
Activity: 1582
Merit: 1284
Updated @OP with

|. Name .|..... News link.....|............................................ Notes ........................|
|blockfi|...20% of it's workforce|.......dramatic shift in macroeconomic conditions” and BlockFi’s push to become profitable.|
|Crypto.com|...5% of its work force|.......That means making difficult and necessary decisions to ensure continued and sustainable growth for the long term by making targeted reductions of approximately 260 or 5% of our corporate workforce.|


I am not so sure that we can say Coinbase has financial problems just because they ended one quarter in negative as probably every other exchange experienced the same thing in the last quarter, its just that others are not publicly traded so we have no idea what's going on there. One positive thing I can see from this though is that some people will get scared and  maybe start realizing that their money stored at Coinbase is not as safe as they think it is.

A lot of indicators say that they are not in a good situation, there are problems in the stock market, recession, low prices of cryptocurrencies, and I also suspect that a lot of manipulation has occurred to inflate the value of the platform due to the listing process.
The coming days will force more platforms to make more "hard decisions".
What surprised him was crypto.com, why they need for all this number of employees, 260 were excluded and the number does not represent 5%.
copper member
Activity: 2016
Merit: 1777
฿itcoin for all, All for ฿itcoin.
It looks like crypto winter is going to take a huge bite on more exchanges and services, and the end result is most people losing jobs.
2 more exchanges have announced that they will lay off workers
1. BlockFi - 20% of it's workforce
2. Crypto.com - 5% of its work force

https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/13/23166028/blockfi-crypto-com-layoffs-cryptocurrency-defi-slump-halts
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