Winklevoss Twins news
Opinion: Barry Silbert keeps quiet as Genesis goes down in flames
Just two months after the collapse of FTX, Genesis is following suit. Against an increasingly disheartening backdrop of “Big Cryptos” going bust, Barry Silbert’s cryptocurrency lender, Genesis Global Holdco, is the latest firm to file for bankruptcy, and if things always come in three, it might not be the last. Genesis Capital’s parent company, Digital Currency Group, has denied any involvement in the bankruptcy filing, citing “a special committee of independent directors” in charge of the decision, seemingly without any input from Silbert himself. But both companies are already getting hit with fresh securities class-action lawsuits alleging violations of federal …
Business / Jan. 26, 2023
Opinion: Digital Currency Group's implosion marks a bottom in trust for the market
It looks as if the bear cycle is going to claim another high-profile crypto company. On Jan. 19, Digital Currency Group’s (DCG’s) lending subsidiary, Genesis, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Here we have yet another industry giant with a tale of incestuous lending, little risk management to speak of and opaque reporting policies. For market participants, the gathering storm clouds at DCG represent a failure that would have been unthinkable in 2021. Founded by CEO Barry Silbert in 2015, DCG has become a mainstay in crypto’s short existence. Genesis’ filing revealed the full extent of creditors affected by its implosion, …
Business / Jan. 20, 2023
Gemini and Genesis’ legal troubles stand to shake up industry further
With investor confidence seemingly at an all-time low thanks to the recent slew of insolvencies, a new saga seems to be now unfolding in real time. This one involves crypto exchange Gemini’s Winklevoss twins and Barry Silbert, CEO of Digital Currency Group (DCG) — the parent firm behind crypto market maker and lender Genesis. On Jan. 2, Cameron Winklevoss posted an open letter to Barry Silbert reminding him of the fact that it had been “47 days since Genesis halted withdrawals” while also providing a blunt, seemingly confrontational assessment of DCG’s existing business practices: “For the past six weeks, we …
Adoption / Jan. 14, 2023
DCG chief Barry Silbert pens letter to shareholders, community reacts
The crypto community woke up to another drama-filled day after the Digital Currency Group (DCG) chief's reflection went wrong. DCG chief Barry Silbert penned a letter to the shareholders on Jan. 10, reflecting on the state of the crypto market and the growing FUD around the company. DCG is the parent company of Genesis Global Capital, a crypto lending firm and Grayscale, the world’s leading crypto asset manager. In the letter, Silbert addressed the growing issues around DCG and its subsidiaries owing to the bear market and FTX contagion. He said that bad actors and the implosion of leading crypto …
Bitcoin / Jan. 11, 2023
Grayscale ETH trust nears record 60% discount as nerves continue over DCG
The Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) is trading at nearly a 60% discount to the underlying value of its assets, with shares falling 93% from its Jun. 2019 all-time high (ATH). There are many reasons behind the ongoing decline, but in recent weeks fears have grown that fallout from parent company Digital Currency Group’s debt of approximately $1.675 billion to troubled crypto lender Genesis could impact Grayscale assets. YCharts data shows a 59.39% discount at the time of writing, a level the trust has traded at since at least Dec. 28. Crypto Twitter influencer “db” tweeted an image on Jan. 4 …
Bitcoin / Jan. 4, 2023
3 reasons why it could be a rocky week for Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins
Continuing with 2022’s trend, there is a lack of positive excitement in the crypto market. While Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins have remained stagnant to start 2023, there are a few reasons why volatility could spike in January. Winklevoss Letter to DCG stirs up bankruptcy FUD On Jan. 2, Cameron Winklevoss, the co-founder of Gemini, penned an open letter to Digital Currency Group (DCG) founder, Barry Silbert demanding answers on the $900 million in locked customer funds. Gemini launched the “Earn” program in coordination with Barry Silbert and the $900 million in customer funds have been locked since Nov. 16 due …
Bitcoin / Jan. 3, 2023
Crypto investors sue Winklevoss twins over interest accounts on Gemini
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, founders of Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, are reportedly facing a new lawsuit from investors over interest-earning program Gemini Earn. Disgruntled investors have filed a lawsuit against Gemini founders, accusing the firm of fraud and violations of the securities laws, according to a report by Bloomberg. Filed on Dec. 27 in Manhattan federal court, the complaint states that Winklevoss brothers refused to “honor any further investor redemptions” after halting those due to exposure to troubled trading firm Genesis Global Capital. The plaintiffs alleged that the products have not been registered, which prevented them from receiving disclosures to better …
Bitcoin / Dec. 28, 2022
Gemini gets regulatory greenlight in Italy, Greece amid lending halt
Winklevoss brothers’ cryptocurrency exchange Gemini continues expanding in Europe, announcing new regulatory approvals in Italy and Greece. Gemini has registered as a virtual currency operator with Italy’s payments services regulator, the Organismo Agenti E Mediatori (OAM), the firm announced on Nov. 30. The crypto exchange has also received registration as a custodial wallet provider and provider of virtual currency exchange with Greece’s Hellenic Capital Markets Commission (HCMC). According to official data, the OAM registration was issued on Nov. 3, while the HCMC granted its approval to Gemini on Nov. 7. The new registrations, combined with Gemini’s electronic money institution authorization …
Bitcoin / Nov. 30, 2022
Cameron Winklevoss steps down from Gemini's European board
Cameron Winklevoss, co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, has stepped down from the European company board of directors, according to a Companies House filings from Oct. 12. As indicated in a statement sent to local press, Cameron continues to lead Gemini's global operations alongside his twin brother Tyler Winklevoss: “We can confirm this change was filed with Companies House and brings local leadership onto the board of directors to reflect the growth of Gemini's business in the UK and Europe. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss continue as President and CEO at Gemini.” As per filings, Gillian Lynch, the head of Gemini in …
Business / Oct. 17, 2022
City-building startup Praxis secures $15M in Series A Funding
Peter Thiel-backed city-building startup Praxis has raised $15 million in Series A funding from a variety of crypto venture firms led by Paradigm Capital, Sam Bankman-Fried's Alameda Research, and Three Arrows Capital. Dryden Brown of New York University, and Charlie Callinan of Boston College, co-founded Praxis, formerly Bluebook Cities in 2019, describing their goal as: “building the city-cryptostate to realize a more vital future,” according to the company website. Praxis wants to pivot away from “artificially scarce metaverses” to build a city-state that is organized around “shared values,” rather than the “labor market principles of the Industrial Age”. The cryptocurrency-run …
Adoption / March 4, 2022
Crypto Twitter year in review: 10 influential tweets of 2021
Another year has come and gone in the cryptocurrency industry, leaving behind an ocean of developments, drama, price swings and innovation — all moving at a breakneck pace that even Barry Allen would have a hard time keeping up with. Similar to previous years, Twitter has yet again served as a hotbed of crypto industry discussion in 2021. Over the past 12 months, Bitcoin (BTC) rode a price rollercoaster, nonfungible tokens (NFTs) sold for millions of dollars and Dogecoin (DOGE) reached illogical price highs — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Twitter, of course, sat right in the …
Adoption / Dec. 27, 2021
$400M funding round to help Gemini build in the decentralized Metaverse
The Winklevoss twins’ crypto exchange Gemini will allocate capital from its $400 million funding round into building a “Gemini experience in different Metaverses.” Gemini announced that it had closed a $400 million equity growth funding round at a valuation of $7.1 billion on Nov. 18, marking the first time the firm had sought outside financing. Morgan Creek Digital led the round with participation from 10T, ParaFi, Newflow Partners, and Marcy Venture Partners to name a few. Notably, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) — which also partnered with Gemini to launch the first crypto trading services offered by a big …
Business / Nov. 19, 2021