Gemini's Creditor Committee Presents Plan to Resolve Genesis, DCG ‘Liquidity Issues’

A creditor committee, which includes crypto exchange Gemini, has presented a plan to resolve the “liquidity issues” currently plaguing Genesis and its parent company Digital Currency Group (DCG), and to “provide a path for the recovery of assets.”

According to Cameron Winklevoss, Gemini’s president and co-founder, “Houlihan Lokey presented a plan on behalf of the Creditor Committee to resolve the liquidity issues at Genesis and DCG and provide a path for the recovery of assets.”

Genesis and its parent company DCG reportedly owe users of Gemini Earn $900 million.

Houlihan Lokey is a New York-based investment firm that specializes in creditor advisory, having assisted in similar proceedings for the Lehman Brothers and WorldCom. 

Users of the crypto exchange’s Earn service, which let users earn between 0.45% and 8% interest on their crypto, have been unable to access their funds since November 16.

This was due to third-party contagion involving crypto broker Genesis, the main provider facilitating the Earn service. Genesis shuttered its withdrawals on the same day, citing fallout from FTX’s collapse and “abnormal withdrawal requests.”

“Genesis is working with advisors to evaluate options to preserve client assets, strengthen our liquidity and move the business forward for the long-term," a Genesis spokesperson told Decrypt. "As we continue to work to identify a holistic solution, our priority remains working toward the best outcome for Genesis’s clients and other stakeholders. This is a comprehensive process that we anticipate will take additional weeks rather than days for us to arrive at a path forward.”

DCG and crypto liquidity

The financial situation currently impacting DCG has also had serious knock-on effects for others in the industry.

Dutch crypto exchange Bitvavo has alleged that it has €280 million ($297 million) “stuck” with Digital Currency Group (DCG). These assets make up 17.5% of the total €1.6 billion ($1.69 billion) the exchange says it manages in deposits and other assets.

However, DCG has gone on the record as claiming that the outstanding funds are held instead by its “independent subsidiary,” Genesis, not DCG.

Grayscale Capital, another part of the DCG empire, is also facing financial stress albeit for different reasons. 

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, a popular fund that gives investors exposure to Bitcoin without having to hold or custody the asset, has hit historic discounts to the underlying asset.

The trust trades at a discount of 47.54% compared to Bitcoin, per YCharts.