Hodlnaut works with potential buyers to sell firm and FTX claims: Report

Troubled cryptocurrency lending firm Hodlnaut is reportedly working with several potential investors to sell its business and other assets.

A number of potential buyers have inquired about purchasing Hodlnaut and its claims against the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 6.

Hodlnaut’s interim judicial managers have received multiple proposals to acquire its Singapore-based crypto business after the company sought protection from creditors. Citing an affidavit, the report notes that the judicial managers are now in the process of signing non-disclosure agreements with the potential investors.

The affidavit reportedly indicated that as of Dec. 9, 2022, Hodlnaut Group owed a total of $160.3 million — or 62% of outstanding debt — to companies and entities like Algorand Foundation, Samtrade Custodian, S.A.M. Fintech and Jean-Marc Tremeaux.

As previously reported, Hodlnaut’s FTX accounts held 514 Bitcoin (BTC), 1,395 Ether (ETH), 280,348 USD Coin (USDC) tokens and 1,001 FTX (FTT) tokens. The company reportedly had more than $18 million worth of digital assets on centralized exchanges like FTX, Deribit, Binance, OKX and Tokenize.

Once a major crypto lending platform, Hodlnaut was forced to halt operations due to a lack of liquidity triggered by a massive bear market in 2022. After freezing withdrawals in August, Hodlnaut obtained creditor protection from a Singapore court, allowing the firm to restructure under court supervision. The court appointed Ee Meng Yen Angela and Aaron Loh Cheng Lee of EY Corporate Advisors as interim judicial managers.

Related: Celsius publishes list of users eligible to withdraw majority of assets

The news comes weeks after Hodlnaut’s creditors rejected the proposed restructuring plan and sought liquidation of the platform’s assets. Instead, the creditors reportedly called for immediate liquidation and distribution of remaining assets among creditors in order to maximize the remaining value.

Hodlnaut is one of many companies specializing in crypto lending services, allowing users to deposit cryptocurrency lent out to borrowers in return for regular interest payments. The cryptocurrency winter of 2022 has disrupted the operations of crypto lenders, including Celsius Network, BlockFi, Genesis, Vauld and others. A number of industry executives believe that crypto lending can still survive the bear market, but some conditions still need to be met.