Troubled crypto lender Vauld gets extended creditor protection

Embattled crypto lending platform Vauld one more time gets the period of creditor protection from a Singapore court. The company should come up with a revival plan before Feb. 28.ย 

As reported by Bloomberg on Jan. 17, Vauld has been granted more than a month to close its negotiations with one of two digital-asset fund managers to take over the executive control of the tokens stuck on its platform. Apparently, the Singapore high court was satisfied by the companyโ€™s claim that the negotiations have entered to the โ€œadvanced stage.โ€

In July 2022 the platform halted the withdrawals for its 800,000 customers, citing unfavorable market conditions and an unprecedented $200 million worth of withdrawals in under two weeks. In August, it has already been granted a three-month moratorium to come up with a restructuring plan for the business and provide a better outcome for its creditors. Back then the judge denied the companyโ€™s request for a six-month protection period, citing concerns that a lengthier moratorium โ€œwonโ€™t get adequate supervision and monitoring.โ€

From the very beginning of the first moratorium, it became known that Nexo, a Swiss-headquartered crypto lender, intended to acquire Vauld with all its assets. However, after Nexoโ€™s own office in Bulgaria has been raided by the prosecutors, Vauld denied any possibility of this deal.

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Thatโ€™s not the first time Singapore authorities demonstrate their readiness to let the troubled crypto companies fix their problems. Another major Singapore-based platform, Zipmex, has also been granted a three-month moratorium to sort out liquidity issues in August.

However, the fate of crypto lending in the country remains unclear with Singaporeโ€™s central bank proposing banning digital payment token service providers from offering โ€œany credit facilityโ€ to consumers, including both fiat and cryptocurrencies.