FTX Has Recovered 'Over $5B' in Assets, Bankruptcy Attorney Says

Crypto exchange FTX has recovered more than $5 billion in different assets, not including another $425 million in crypto held by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas, a bankruptcy attorney said during a hearing Wednesday.

"We have located over $5 billion of cash, liquid cryptocurrency and liquid investment securities measured at petition date value. [It] just does not ascribe any value to holdings of dozens of illiquid cryptocurrency tokens, where our holdings are so large relative to the total supply that our positions cannot be sold without substantially affecting the market for the token," said Sullivan & Cromwell attorney Adam Landis on FTX's behalf.

The announcement substantially raises the total FTX claims it holds, after the company's new leadership said it could only find just over $1 billion on Dec. 20, 2022. The total amount FTX owes its creditors is still unclear. In initial bankruptcy filings, the company's management checked off the box indicating a figure between $1 and $10 billion. Chief Financial Officer Mary Cilia estimated the company could do so by April 2023 during that December hearing.

Landis also spoke to a recently-announced cooperation agreement with the Securities Commission of the Bahamas, saying it was "an important first step to align incentives and maximize joint recoveries."

"It does not matter who collects $1 for customers, as long as the customers get it," Landis said. "We've established a task force with the official committee of creditors and the Bahamas JPL to explore alternatives for the sale or reorganization of the international platform."

UPDATE (Jan. 11, 2023, 14:24 UTC): Adds additional detail.