Coincheck to Start Compensating Victims from Next Week

Thursday, 08/03/2018 | 18:10 GMT by Arnab Shome
  • The exchange will also resume trading of some currencies.
Coincheck to Start Compensating Victims from Next Week
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Japanese cryptocurrency Exchange Coincheck announced that it will begin the compensation process to the victims of the theft of $530 million worth of NEM tokens from next week.

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Coincheck CEO Koichiro Wada and COO Yusuke Otsuka made the announcement today in a press statement in Tokyo. Though details are still scarce, both executives said that they will come up with more details in the coming days.

Bloomberg’s Tokyo-based tech reporter Yuji Nakamura provided updates on the event on Twitter.

On the 26th of January, the exchange confirmed the news of the massive theft of NEM tokens, which affected 260,000 users. Coincheck was quick to suspend all withdrawals amid the theft, and a couple of days later, it announced that it will compensate all the victims at the rate of 81 cents to every dollar.

Though Mr. Wada clarified that the exchange will compensate the victims with the money the exchange is making from spread trading, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) later audited its books to see if the claims made by the exchange were legit.

However, after resuming yen withdrawals in February, the exchange was flooded with withdrawal requests, as customers withdrew 40.1 billion yen ($372 million) in a single day and around 60 billion yen ($566 million) since the incident.

The biggest cryptocurrency heist in Japanese history also brought the country’s regulator - the FSA - into the spotlight. Since then, the watchdog has tightened the leash on the exchanges with onsite inspections.

Today, prior to Coinchek’s announcement, the FSA penalized six Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges and also ordered Coinscheck to make further improvements by revising its management structure, improving anti-money laundering procedures and to submit a report by March 22. Mr. Otsuka said that Coincheck will comply with the orders of the regulatory body.

Moreover, the exchange is facing lawsuits filed by several groups of the victims demanding to expedite the reimbursement of their losses.

Japanese cryptocurrency Exchange Coincheck announced that it will begin the compensation process to the victims of the theft of $530 million worth of NEM tokens from next week.

Discover credible partners and premium clients at China’s leading finance event!

Coincheck CEO Koichiro Wada and COO Yusuke Otsuka made the announcement today in a press statement in Tokyo. Though details are still scarce, both executives said that they will come up with more details in the coming days.

Bloomberg’s Tokyo-based tech reporter Yuji Nakamura provided updates on the event on Twitter.

On the 26th of January, the exchange confirmed the news of the massive theft of NEM tokens, which affected 260,000 users. Coincheck was quick to suspend all withdrawals amid the theft, and a couple of days later, it announced that it will compensate all the victims at the rate of 81 cents to every dollar.

Though Mr. Wada clarified that the exchange will compensate the victims with the money the exchange is making from spread trading, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) later audited its books to see if the claims made by the exchange were legit.

However, after resuming yen withdrawals in February, the exchange was flooded with withdrawal requests, as customers withdrew 40.1 billion yen ($372 million) in a single day and around 60 billion yen ($566 million) since the incident.

The biggest cryptocurrency heist in Japanese history also brought the country’s regulator - the FSA - into the spotlight. Since then, the watchdog has tightened the leash on the exchanges with onsite inspections.

Today, prior to Coinchek’s announcement, the FSA penalized six Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges and also ordered Coinscheck to make further improvements by revising its management structure, improving anti-money laundering procedures and to submit a report by March 22. Mr. Otsuka said that Coincheck will comply with the orders of the regulatory body.

Moreover, the exchange is facing lawsuits filed by several groups of the victims demanding to expedite the reimbursement of their losses.

About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab Shome
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About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab is an electronics engineer-turned-financial editor. He entered the industry covering the cryptocurrency market for Finance Magnates and later expanded his reach to forex as well. He is passionate about the changing regulatory landscape on financial markets and keenly follows the disruptions in the industry with new-age technologies.
  • 6631 Articles
  • 99 Followers

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