Celsius bankruptcy proceedings show complexities amid declining hope of recovery

The Celsius Network is one of many crypto lending firms that has been swept up in the wake of the so-called “crypto contagion.” 

Rumors of Celsius’ insolvency began circulating in June after the crypto lender was forced to halt withdrawals due to “extreme market conditions” on June 13 and eventually filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy a month later on July 13.

The crypto lending firm showed a balance gap of $1.2 billion in its bankruptcy filing, with most liabilities owed to its users. User deposits made up the majority of liabilities at $4.72 billion, while Celsius’ assets include CEL tokens as assets valued at $600 million, mining assets worth $720 million and $1.75 billion in crypto assets. The value of the CEL tokens has drawn suspicion from some in the crypto community, however, as the entire market cap for CEL is only $494 million, according to CoinGecko data.

Iakov Levin, CEO at centralized and decentralized finance platform Midas, told Cointelegraph that the CEL token value issue could adversely affect its holders. He explained:

“Celsius calculated CEL token denominated in $1 per token, requiring someone willing to pay this price for the bankrupt token. The situation is dark not only for Celsius users but also for CEL token holders. CEL has become a sad example of how some events can cause a domino effect, and the broader digital asset market can suffer as a result.”

At the time of its bankruptcy filing, the firm had said it aims to use $167 million in cash-on-hand to continue certain operations during the restructuring process and said it intends to eventually “restore activity across the platform” and “return value to customers.”

A new bankruptcy report filed nearly a month after its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing showed that the actual debt of the crypto lender stands at more than double what the firm showed in July. The report found that the company has net liabilities worth $6.6 billion and total assets under management of $3.8 billion. While in their bankruptcy filing, the firm has shown around $4.3 billion in assets against $5.5 billion in liabilities, representing a $1.2 billion difference.

Pablo Bonjour, managing director of Macco Restructuring Group, which has worked with several crypto firms going through the bankruptcy process, explained why Celsius’s balance gap increased and what lies ahead for the troubled crypto lender. He told Cointelegraph:

“Celsius is really no different than most Chapter 11 bankruptcies in that the debt or shortfall ‘hole,’ if you will, sometimes turns out to be greater than initially expected, especially with regard to cryptocurrency and valuations depending on who and what they owe.” 

“It’s too early to tell how things will shape up, and Celsius still has a way to before they can sort things out, but I’m sure all of the professionals on all sides are working hard for a better outcome. I anticipate an interesting road ahead and if the examiner is approved, I look forward to reading the examiner’s report. Of course, that may not be ready before the end of 2022. We’ll just have to wait and see,” he added.

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With its current debt and cash flow at hand, Celsius is estimated to run out of money by October. A court filing shows Celsius’ three-month cash flow forecast, which estimates steep declining liquidity, indicates the company will experience an approximate 80% drop in liquidity funds from August to September.

Brian Pasfield, chief technology officer of decentralized finance protocol Fringe Finance, explained the critical issue that led to the crypto contagion in the first place. He told Cointelegraph:

“In order for centralized platforms to compete with fully decentralized alternatives, they need to solve their overhead. However, since decentralized competitors are empowered by lack of overhead, this makes it impossible for players such as Celsius to sustain themselves without…