The Securities Commission of The Bahamas will continue to investigate the facts and circumstances regarding FTX’s liquidity crisis and any potential violations of Bahamian law and hold any responsible companies and individuals accountable, in cooperation with other regulatory agencies and law enforcement both in The Bahamas and in other affected countries in connection with their own investigations
North Building, 2" Floor
31A East Bay Street
P.O. Box N-8347
Nassau, The Bahamas
Securities Commission Statement on Transfer Motion In FTX Digital Markets Chapter 15 Proceedings
FDM was incorporated in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas on 22 July 2021; it was duly registered as a digital asset business under The Bahamas’ Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges Act, 2020 (the “DARE Act”).
Pursuant to Bahamas law, on 10 November 2022, the Commission determined that the customers and creditors of FDM were in need of the protection of the DARE Act, and suspended FDM’s license to conduct business and subsequently filed a petition before the Bahamian Supreme Court to place FDM into provisional liquidation. This action — the first commenced globally against an FTX entity — placed FDM under the control of a court-appointed fiduciary and removed prior management from exercising any authority over FDM.
Given the nature of digital assets, and the risks associated with hacking and compromise, the Commission determined that placing FDM into liquidation was not sufficient to protect the customers and creditors of FDM. Accordingly, on 12 November 2022, the Commission sought an additional Order from the Supreme Court of The Bahamas for authority under the DARE Act to transfer all digital assets of FTX into digital wallets under the exclusive control of the Commission for the benefit of clients and creditors of FDM.
It is unfortunate that in Chapter 11 filings, the new CEO of FTX Trading Ltd. misrepresented this timely action through the intemperate and inaccurate allegations lodged in the Transfer Motion. It is also concerning that the Chapter 11 debtors chose to rely on the statements of individuals they have (in other filings) characterized as unreliable sources of information and potentially “seriously compromised.”
Further, the statements made by the purported officers of FTX Trading Ltd. and the other purported Chapter 11 debtors — that they have suffered significant thefts, that their systems were compromised, and that they continue to face new hacking attempts — reinforces the wisdom of the Commission’s prompt action to secure these digital assets.
The Commission will continue to evaluate the situation, continue to act in accordance with directions issued by the Supreme Court of The Bahamas, collaborate with other supervisory authorities and take such further actions as needed to preserve the assets of FDM and to safeguard the interests of customers and creditors of FDM.
In addition, the Commission will continue to investigate the facts and circumstances regarding FTX’s liquidity crisis and any potential violations of Bahamian law and hold any responsible companies and individuals accountable, in cooperation with other regulatory agencies and law enforcement both in The Bahamas and in other affected countries in connection with their own investigations. The Commission also looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the authorities in other jurisdictions to ensure the cooperative and vigorous resolution of all necessary proceedings to effectuate those ends.
