"KuCoin Faces $882 Million Withdrawal Amid US DOJ Accusations"
In a significant financial shift, the KuCoin exchange has experienced a substantial capital outflow following accusations by US authorities. The exchange is under scrutiny for alleged unregistered operations, violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, and facilitating money laundering. According to Nansen, a data analytics portal, this turbulence has led to a total withdrawal of $882 million from the exchange.
KuCoin's financial stability came into question after federal prosecutors and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) of the United States levied several charges against the company and its founders. Within the last 24 hours alone, the sum of funds withdrawn from the exchange's accounts has surpassed $882 million, with an inflow of capital amounting to $99 million, resulting in a net outflow of $783 million. This movement involves networks such as Ethereum, BNB Chain, Avalanche, Fantom, and Polygon.
Martin Li, Nansen's head of communications, commented, "Given past incidents, we anticipated that any significant regulatory action would lead to a sharp withdrawal of funds. However, the exchange remains solvent, maintaining a 1:1 client deposit to fund ratio, even under such stress conditions."
Despite the substantial volume of withdrawn funds, analysts note that the company still holds reserves worth $5.1 billion, including 6277 BTC and 99,359 ETH, according to CryptoQuant data. Experts believe the company has a considerable "margin of safety."
The flow of funds intensified following accusations by US authorities against KuCoin and its co-founders, Chun Gan and Ke Tang, for violating the Bank Secrecy Act. The company and its entrepreneurs are also suspected of participating in money laundering processes, deceiving investors, and operating without registration.
Law enforcement officials allege that during its operation, KuCoin handled over $5 billion and transferred more than $4 billion in criminal and suspicious funds. The prosecution has charged the firm's co-founders and related legal entities with several counts, each potentially leading to prison terms ranging from five to ten years.
This situation echoes previous state-level accusations, such as the eight states that charged the SEC with overstepping its bounds in the case against Kraken, highlighting ongoing regulatory challenges within the cryptocurrency industry.
