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FTX Wins Auction For Voyager Digital Assets, Valued Over $1B

Voyager Digital has officially completed it’s auction for acquisition, with powerhouse exchange FTX securing the winning bid, according to emerging reports (and confirmed via press release) in recent hours. Reports in recent weeks had stated that the flagship exchange was in the bidding mix with competitors Binance and CrossTower, with all three supposedly in the final running for Voyager’s assets – and each of which were supposedly offering unique packages in the bidding process.

With FTX coming out on top, let’s take a look at what sort of implications can lie from this acquisition moving forward.

FTX & Acquisitions 

FTX has long sought a ‘growth by acquisition’ model with mixed results. The firm is currently in the process of working through an acquisition of CeFi crypto lender BlockFi, which sought to avoid the same fate as competitor Celsius. FTX’s U.S. division is looking to acquire BlockFi, and can now add Voyager Digital to it’s list of new assets to build the FTX rolodex. While the aforementioned Binance and lesser-known exchange CrossTower were reportedly in the mix, it was FTX who came out with the most appetizing bid – despite rumors that Binance’s offer included a large cash sum payment.

Rumors had swirled in recent days around the deal’s closing, with commentators suggesting that FTX would shell out $50M in cash in it’s bid, and that the company desired that existing Voyager customers were moved over the FTX platform – where they could claim a pro rata share of the coins the debtors possess from the existing Voyager accounts. It remains to be seen if and how that will play out. According to the press release, FTX’s winning bid is valued at roughly $1.4B.

Voyager Digital (VOYG) is traded on OTC market, TSX, and has seen value dilution commensurate with the platform’s downfall. | Source: TSX: VOYG on TradingView.com

Where Things Go From Here

The closing of the deal will allow FTX to finalize acquisition of Voyager’s assets, but the timeline around these processes is still murky. Voyager can now still move forward with it’s Chapter 11 filing and look to reconcile debtors and former customers to some degree – but certainly not wholly. Nonetheless, FTX will see all of Voyager’s assets and customer accounts moved under their umbrella.

The move is likely seen as a win for FTX, who submitted a bid attempt for Voyager Digital back in July with no traction.

Featured image from Pexels, Charts from TradingView.com
The writer of this content is not associated or affiliated with any of the parties mentioned in this article. This is not financial advice.
This op-ed represents the views of the author, and may not necessarily reflect the views of Bitcoinist. Bitcoinist is an advocate of creative and financial freedom alike.

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Reports: FTX Targeting BlockFi Purchase At $25M

BlockFi, Celsius, Nexo, and more: tough times can lead to difficult measures, and this year’s bear market is showing no exception to some of these players. Look no further than the current state of affairs for centralized finance (CeFi) platforms, who have been facing substantial headwinds with no end in sight.

Now, after days of rumors and reported exploratory deals, reports have emerged that powerhouse crypto exchange FTX is putting together the final ties around an acquisition deal of BlockFi at just a $25M valuation. The news comes after reports emerged that FTX passed on an acquisition deal for Celsius after seeing the CeFi firm’s balance sheet.

BlockFi On The Block

Should the purchase come to fruition at the reported valuation, it’ll be a major hit for BlockFi equity holders, following a nearly $5B valuation last year in the midst of bull market movement. However, that $25M number could move drastically between today’s reports and closing time – and a successful acquisition will of course take months to close. BlockFi CEO Zac Prince described the number as “market rumors” and outright denied the number, stating in a tweet that “we aren’t being sold for $25M.”

FTX is on the shortlist of exchanges that have sought out opportunity in the midst of crypto market downturn, exploring buyouts or equity share purchases for both Celsius and BlockFi in recent weeks, according to a variety of reports. However, based on the hard facts available to the public, the viability and likelihood of a buyout for BlockFi is still difficult to measure.

Celsius (CEL) has faced an uphill battle as the platform has still paused withdrawals for customers. | Source: CEL-USD on TradingView.com

Related Reading | Ethereum Loses Steam As Exchange Supply Spikes

State Of CeFi: Pulse Check

How did we get here? Bear market downturn over the past month or two has caused major pain for CeFi platforms, in a flurry of madness that started with Celsius freezing withdrawals earlier this month amid worries of a bank run and lack of immediate liquidity within the platform’s holdings. BlockFi has undoubtedly faced the heat, too, as FTX provided the firm with a $250M emergency line of credit just last week. While reports across the market suggest that BlockFi has several options on the table, it seems that few will lead down a path that spares equity shareholders of value at present time. Nexo has largely stayed quiet during the chaos, but there’s various internet sleuths who have targeted Nexo with content campaigns around the company’s practices as well.

Regardless of how you feel about CeFi, the decline of infrastructure in this bear market shouldn’t be celebrated – we’ll see how it all shakes out when the tides recover.

Related Reading | USDC Exchange Reserves Rise As Investors Escape From Bitcoin

Featured image from Pixabay, Charts from TradingView.com
The writer of this content is not associated or affiliated with any of the parties mentioned in this article. This is not financial advice.