Texas securities regulator investigates Celsius over withdrawal suspension: Report
The Texas State Securities Board has reportedly opened an investigation into crypto lending platform Celsius Network over its decision to suspend user withdrawals.
According to a Thursday report from Reuters, Texas State Securities Board director of enforcement division Joseph Rotunda said the regulator began investigating Celsius on Monday shortly after the platform announced it would be “pausing all withdrawals, swaps and transfers between accounts.” Rotunda reportedly called the investigation a “priority” for the Texas regulator.
"I am very concerned that clients — including many retail investors — may need to immediately access their assets yet are unable to withdraw from their accounts,” the enforcement director reportedly said. “The inability to access their investment may result in significant financial consequences."
The report on a possible investigation into Celsius followed a Wall Street Journal report from Thursday that two firms that habacked the crypto lending platform during a November 2021 funding round did not plan to provide additional funds due to the potential risks, citing people with knowledge of the situation. WestCap Group and Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec led a $750 million Series B funding round for Celsius, which helped the platform reach a $3.5 billion valuation.
With the crypto market experiencing significant volatility in June, Celsius has reportedly onboarded attorneys to find different solutions to the current financial challenges faced by the company. CEO Alex Mashinsky took to Twitter on Wednesday — breaking a three-day social media silence — to say that the Celsius team was working “non-stop” to address user concerns.
@CelsiusNetwork team is working non-stop.
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