Crypto Biz: SVB collapses, USDC depegs, Bitcoin still up

cointelegraph.com:

Crypto investors should know by now that it doesn’t take much to topple a distressed multi-billion-dollar firm. On March 10, California regulators officially shut down Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) 48 hours after the company disclosed it was in financial distress. As Cointelegraph reported at the time, SVB is the first Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)-insured bank to fail in 2023. That crucial detail prompted federal regulators in the United States to step up and backstop SVB depositors before a bank run could ensue. Although government protections weren’t enough to stem a massive drop in bank stocks once markets reopened on Monday, Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader crypto market soared. Did FDIC bail out Bitcoin? Only time will tell.

The SVB fiasco triggered a short but intense period of fear and trepidation in crypto markets as Circle’s USD Coin (USDC) depegged. The only thing Circle did wrong was holding a portion of its deposits at SVB when it collapsed.

This week’s Crypto Biz tries to make sense of SVB’s failure and how it affected crypto markets.

On March 10, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation shut down Silicon Valley Bank and appointed FDIC as the receiver to protect insured deposits. The news triggered a fire sale in crypto and financial markets as SVB was a top-20 U.S. bank by total assets. So, what compelled regulators to close the bank? Earlier in the week, SVB released its mid-quarter financial update, which disclosed a $1.8 billion loss tied to securities sales and the need to raise $2.25 billion to shore up operations. SVB was a trusted partner of many crypto-focused venture capital firms, but its demise was ultimately tied to duration risk, not crypto industry exposure.