The cryptocurrency firm and bitcoin investment app, Coinbits, has announced the suspension of its services due to complications involving the Nevada-based custodian, Prime Trust. Following accusations of insolvency and breaches of fiduciary responsibilities, Nevada’s financial regulators mandated the closure of Prime Trust. Despite these challenges, Coinbits maintains confidence that the custodian “still has enough bitcoin to honor our members’ balances.”
Bitcoin Investment App Coinbits Hit by Prime Trust Crisis, Halts Operations
In light of the financial difficulties faced by the cryptocurrency custodian Prime Trust, the bitcoin investment app Coinbits and its team have decided to suspend certain operations as a result of their association with the company. Coinbits made the announcement in a Twitter thread, expressing that it was an unfortunate message they had never anticipated sharing.
This is thread that we would never have wanted to write. We’ve been posting updates on our website and in email, but we think it’s important to communicate directly to Bitcoin Twitter about what the Prime Trust meltdown means for Coinbits.
— Coinbits | DCA into bitcoin (@CoinbitsApp) June 28, 2023
Coinbits insisted customers have been duly notified about the ongoing concerns through the platform’s website and email communications. In essence, the Twitter thread provides insights into Coinbits’ utilization of Prime Trust as a custodian.
However, due to regulatory challenges in Nevada, Coinbits has been compelled to temporarily suspend the majority of its services. Despite this setback, the team remains optimistic that Prime Trust possesses sufficient bitcoin (BTC) to settle customer balances.
Coinbits stated, “The petition from the Nevada Department of Business and Industry seems to indicate that Prime Trust still has enough bitcoin to honor our members’ balances. We are pursuing these assets on behalf of our members.”
According to a court filing submitted to the Eighth Judicial District Court in Las Vegas, the Nevada Financial Institutions Division disclosed that Prime Trust had a debt of $85.67 million in fiat currency to its clients. However, the company only possessed $2.90 million to cover this amount.
Additionally, Prime Trust owed $69.50 million in crypto to its clients, but only possessed $68.64 million, leaving a shortfall of $83.63 million between both crypto and fiat. The court filing further explains that the company incurred these losses due to wallets becoming inaccessible following a management transition.
In line with the court filing, blockchain intelligence firm Arkham Intelligence tweeted that it had potentially located a wallet containing $45 million, with 90% of the funds consisting of ethereum (ETH). The Prime Trust issue has gained significant attention across social media platforms such as Reddit and Twitter.
“Wow – Prime Trust receivership will be a mess [and] it’s *EXACTLY* what the State of Wyoming enacted its laws to avoid,” remarked Caitlin Long, the founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, on Tuesday. Long also raised important inquiries, stating, “[Big questions]: Who will pay the legal bills—[Nevada] taxpayers or Prime Trust customers? Some Prime Trust customers are IRAs/ERISA plans—can these even be bailed in?”
The exact extent of the impact still remains uncertain, but it is known that both Coinbits and Stably have been affected by Prime Trust’s problems. The number of other firms affected has yet to be determined.
What do you think this incident means for the future of cryptocurrency custodianship? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.
