Court greenlights Celsius’ creditors vote on bankruptcy plan

Under this plan, a consortium going by the name of Fahrenheit is slated to acquire Celsius’ assets, birthing a fresh corporate entity. This new entity would then proceed to allocate Celsius’ assets and equity in the nascent company among its clientele.

The regulatory nod was granted by Judge Martin Glenn, who signed off on Celsius’s disclosure statement and solicitation materials at the Southern District of New York bankruptcy court.

These claims are closely tied to compensations owed to participants in Celsius’ Earn program. However, the settlement goes beyond, aiming to address allegations of mismanagement, deceit, and fraud laid at the doorstep of Celsius’ leadership. By encompassing these issues, Celsius seeks to boost potential recoveries for its users by an additional 5%.

As reported by Bloomberg, the projected worth of the asset distribution hovers around a substantial $2 billion. Judge Glenn, not content with mere approval, further instructed Celsius to offer a straightforward explanation of the settlement terms. Furthermore, Celsius has been asked to provide detailed information surrounding the inherent volatility of cryptocurrencies and the possible hurdles that its mining operations might face.

Although there are pockets of resistance among certain creditors, the officially appointed committee championing the interests of junior creditors has thrown its weight behind the plan. This committee is set to endorse Celsius’ customers’ participation in favor of the proposed blueprint.

Participation in the settlement is essentially automatic for Celsius’ customers, with the opt-out option available for those who wish to abstain. Legal representation for Celsius, Chris Koenig, told Bloomberg that disbursements could potentially kickstart before the year’s conclusion.

Should the plan secure the final seal of approval, it will still require subsequent court ratification, a decision that is tentatively expected to be rendered come October.

Earlier in May, Celsius selected Fahrenheit’s proposal as the winning bid to oversee a new entity owned by its creditors, paving the way for its exit from bankruptcy.

Fahrenheit, a consortium led by blockchain-based venture capital firm Arrington Capital, will bring the necessary capital, management team, and technology to establish and run the newly formed company, called NewCo. The latter will manage illiquid assets, including institutional loan portfolio, mining business, and alternative investments.

Furthermore, Celsius disclosed that it has obtained a backup bid from the Blockchain Recovery Investment Consortium (BRIC), which is a holding company affiliated with Gemini Trust, owned by the Winklevoss brothers. As part of the deal, the new company will be mandated to receive $500 million in liquid cryptocurrency. However, this amount may be lowered to $450 million if there are secondary market purchases involved.