Vermont Regulator Says Crypto Lender Celsius Is ‘Deeply Insolvent’

Vermont’s Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) alleged that troubled cryptocurrency lender, Celsius Network is 'deeply insolvent' and does not have enough “assets and liquidity to honor its obligations to account holders and other creditors.”

The state regulatory warning on Tuesday added that: “Celsius deployed customer assets in a variety of risky and illiquid investments, trading, and lending activities.”

In addition, it alleged that the crypto startup compounded its risks by using customer deposits as borrowing collateral for supporting its leveraged investment strategies.

“Additionally, some of the assets held by Celsius are illiquid, meaning they may be difficult to sell, and a sale may result in financial losses. The company’s assets and investments are probably inadequate to cover its outstanding obligations Obligations In finance, an obligation is a financial responsibility where the terms of a contract must be met. Should an obligation between parties fail then the party who is at default may face legal action. In this scenario, the guilty party will not only have to agree to pay the set amount to fulfill the contractual arrangement but may also be responsible for covering all legal proceedings cost. Routine payments or outstanding debt of any kind are considered financial obligations, so if someone owes you In finance, an obligation is a financial responsibility where the terms of a contract must be met. Should an obligation between parties fail then the party who is at default may face legal action. In this scenario, the guilty party will not only have to agree to pay the set amount to fulfill the contractual arrangement but may also be responsible for covering all legal proceedings cost. Routine payments or outstanding debt of any kind are considered financial obligations, so if someone owes you Read this Term,” DFR added.

Additionally, the Vermont regulator pointed out Celsius is an unlicensed company and does not hold any money transmitting license. It is engaged in 'an unregistered securities offering' by offering interest-bearing cryptocurrency accounts.

A Troubled Crypto Lender

The troubles at Celsius were publicly exposed when the platform suspended withdrawals on June 12. The company even hired restructuring experts to receive advice on its financial options.

“This action impacts hundreds of thousands of customers and billions of dollars of cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the netw By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the netw Read this Term, including accounts of some Vermonters,” the state regulator said.

The crypto lending company on Tuesday said that it paid off its debt to Aave and has freed up $26 million in tokens. Moreover, it reportedly paid off the debts of Maker and has freed up $440 million worth of crypto collateral.

Meanwhile, the state regulator of Vermont cracked down upon other crypto lending platforms. It was one of the regulators to settle with BlockFi for $100 million and took action against Voyager Digital, which has now filed for bankruptcy.

“The Department has joined a multistate investigation of Celsius arising from the… concerns,” the DFR added.