(Bloomberg) -- The Singapore High Court granted the parent of troubled crypto lender Vauld a three-month protection from creditors, giving the company breathing room as it seeks to sell itself to rival Nexo.
Justice Aedit Abdullah gave Defi Payments Ltd. a moratorium that would last until Nov. 7, half of what the company had asked for, according to a court hearing in the city-state on Monday. During this period, the company’s 147,000 creditors will be barred from taking legal action against it.
“I am concerned a six-month moratorium won’t get adequate supervision and monitoring,” the judge said, adding an extension may be possible based on an assessment on the firm’s progress in engaging with its creditors. He asked the company to form a creditors committee to address the issues, and will take note of the progress at the next hearing.
He said the company should provide details like cash flow and valuation of assets to its creditors in two weeks and management of its accounts in eight weeks.
Like that of fellow crypto lenders Voyager Digital Ltd., Babel Finance and Celsius Network Ltd., Vauld’s unraveling was swift. The Singapore-based company reassured customers about the health of its business on June 16, only to announce steep layoffs five days later. In early July, Vauld halted withdrawals, trading and deposits on its platforms and announced that it was in discussions with Nexo.
Sheila Ng, a lawyer for Defi Payments, said Monday that the firm needed six months of breathing room, including for restructuring, due diligence by Nexo and reconciliation of the group company accounts.
She said the company will take into account the court’s suggestion on allowing a minimum withdrawal for its creditors. These include Vauld users with cryptocurrency balances in their accounts, institutional lenders that have lent funds to Defi Payments and vendors.
Nexo declined to comment on progress of the deal talks, when contacted by Bloomberg News.
Scrutiny
Some crypto lenders offered double-digit yields -- as high as 13% in Vauld’s case -- then made risky bets to generate even higher returns on those deposits. That business model came under strain after the TerraUSD stablecoin collapsed in May, sparking a crash in cryptocurrency markets.
The series of failures will likely lead to greater regulatory scrutiny. Singapore’s central bank has already said it’s considering introducing more safeguards for consumers in the crypto industry.
Vauld has $330 million in assets and $400 million in liabilities at the group level, Chief Executive Officer Darshan Bhatija had said in an email to creditors on July 11. The company raised $25 million in a funding round led by Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures in July last year. Investors in the deal included Coinbase Ventures and Pantera Capital.
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
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