In a development that could offer relief for Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader crypto ecosystem, Mt. Gox, the defunct cryptocurrency exchange that was hacked in 2014, has announced a significant delay in its repayment plan for affected creditors. Originally set for October 31, 2024, the new deadline for repayments has been pushed to October 31, 2025. Mt. Gox Trustee Announces New Repayment Timeline This delay is particularly notable given that the repayment of approximately 200,000 BTC to creditors could have exerted downward pressure on Bitcoin’s price. Had the repayments proceeded as scheduled, there was concern that many affected investors might liquidate their holdings en masse, potentially exacerbating Bitcoin’s existing downtrend and leading to a sharp price decline. Related Reading: SEC Strikes Again: Cumberland DRW Charged For ‘Unregistered Crypto Operations’ In a statement released on Thursday, the Rehabilitation Trustee outlined the current status of the repayment efforts. It noted that while significant progress has been made in processing repayments, many creditors have yet to receive their funds due to incomplete procedures or issues encountered during the repayment process. The Trustee stated: With the exception of certain types of repayments, the Rehabilitation Trustee has largely completed the Base Repayment, Early Lump-Sum Repayment, and Intermediate Repayment for rehabilitation creditors who have completed the necessary procedures. However, the statement highlighted that a considerable number of rehabilitation creditors still await their repayments. In light of these challenges, and with permission from the court, the Trustee determined it was in the best interest of all parties to extend the deadline for repayments. Key Levels To Watch For Bitcoin Amid Ongoing Fluctuations Despite recent optimism surrounding the Bitcoin market, the cryptocurrency has once again fallen below the critical $60,000 mark. This decline follows a brief uptrend triggered by the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) decision to cut interest rates on September 18, which initially boosted confidence among crypto investors. Bitcoin had rallied to approximately $66,500 on September 27, marking its best September performance in over a decade. However, the cryptocurrency has since faced a sell-off, resulting in losses exceeding 2% in the last 24 hours and nearly 9% over the past two weeks. Related Reading: XRP Could Surge To $60 Overnight Using SWIFT Model, Expert Says Crypto analyst Rekt Capital has pointed out that Bitcoin is currently down around 6% for October. Historically, the cryptocurrency has experienced downturns in October only twice: in 2014, when it fell by 12.95%, and in 2018, with a decline of 3.83%. Both years were characterized by bear market conditions. With the current year being a Halving year—an event that historically has led to price increases—there is a prevailing sentiment that Bitcoin may avoid a negative monthly close this October, according to Rekt’s analysis. Rekt Capital also noted that Bitcoin is currently testing the Weekly Re-Accumulation Range Low, which is around $60,600. This level serves as crucial support, and maintaining a weekly close above it could set the stage for a potential upward movement. Conversely, if Bitcoin fails to hold this support, the analyst warns that it could lead to further declines, potentially pushing the price below $55,000. At the time of writing, BTC trades at $59,650, as seen in the daily BTC/USDT chart below. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Amid the recent recovery from a significant price correction of over 25% that sent the Bitcoin price to a 6-month low of $53,500, the largest cryptocurrency on the market has since recovered to trade in the $66,000 to $68,000 range despite the start of Mt. Gox creditor repayments. Investors, buoyed by prospects of continued price appreciation, have adopted a HODL stance, opting to retain their assets rather than selling them off following the alleged hack suffered by the Bitcoin exchange in 2011. BTC Hodlers Stand Firm Data from market intelligence platform Arkham reveals that Mt. Gox initiated a significant movement of $2.47 billion worth of BTC to new wallets, facilitating the distribution of 5,106 BTC worth $335 million to four distinct Bitstamp addresses on Wednesday. Concurrently, creditors have commenced receiving their owed Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) through the US-based crypto exchange Kraken, as previously reported by NewsBTC on Thursday. Despite initial concerns of a sell-off akin to the June events, where the German police’s wallet sold over $3 billion in BTC, impacting Bitcoin’s market performance, analytics from CryptoQuant indicate a positive shift. Related Reading: Road To $200: Crypto Pundit Reveals Key Levels To Watch For The Solana Price A notable increase in Bitcoin withdrawals from Kraken post-Mt. Gox reimbursements suggest that affected users opt to hold onto their coins, moving them from exchanges to cold wallets. On-chain data compiled by the firm shows that in the past 24 hours alone, more than 5,000 BTC worth $329 million have been withdrawn from exchanges, contributing to the current consolidation price action and stability for the Bitcoin price over the past few days. Arkham’s data further illustrates Mt. Gox’s ongoing efforts to repay creditors, with over 50,000 BTC transferred from the exchange’s wallet out of a maximum of 142,000 BTC while retaining 90,344 BTC valued at approximately $6 billion in BTC. Echoing the sentiment of CryptoQuant’s findings, Alex Thorn from Galaxy Digital highlights that most creditors are long-term Bitcoin proponents with a profound understanding of the technology. Thorn asserts that their preference to reclaim Bitcoin rather than opt for a USD payout signifies a strong inclination towards holding their assets rather than triggering a sell-off. Moreover, Thorn points out that the substantial capital gains implications of selling Bitcoin could dissuade creditors from liquidating their holdings. Bitcoin Price Analysis At the time of writing, the largest cryptocurrency on the market is trading at the $66,400 milestone, as it is a key support level for the Bitcoin price on its way to retesting the upper resistance walls with an eye on the all-time high of $73,700 reached on March 14th. Adding to the bullish sentiment surrounding BTC’s price performance over the past week, the price may find notable support levels that could prevent further declines in the event of a sell-off by some Mt. Gox creditors in the coming days at $65,000. Related Reading: Litecoin (LTC) Set To ‘Wake Up’, According To Legendary Trader’s Forecast Another key level for the bulls to watch is the $63,500 area, where the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) is located, which, as seen in the daily BTC/USDT chart below, has previously accompanied the price on further gains and acted as a strong support for BTC. Ultimately, it remains to be seen what stance creditors of the failed Mt. Gox exchange will take in the coming days and weeks as more repayments are expected to flood creditors’ wallets and what impact this may have on the price Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
After a decade-long wait, creditors of the now-defunct Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange have finally begun receiving their owed Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin cash (BCH) via the Kraken and Bitstamp crypto exchanges. However, this had a notable impact on the cryptocurrency market, contributing to a nearly 4% drop in the price of Bitcoin after users confirmed the deposits to their wallets from the exchanges. Mt. Gox Distributes Millions To Bitstamp And Kraken On an early Tuesday morning, wallet addresses linked to Mt. Gox initiated the transfer of $2.85 billion worth of BTC. According to on-chain data from blockchain analytics platform Arkham, Mt. Gox executed the movement of $2.85 billion in BTC to new wallets with the primary purpose of distributing 5,110 BTC, equivalent to $340.1 million, to four distinct Bitstamp addresses. Related Reading: Ethereum ETFs Witness Stellar Start As Trading Soars; Analyst Sees ETH’s Price Reaching $8,000 In Q4 Bitstamp is one of the five exchanges that collaborate with the Mt. Gox Trustee to facilitate the return of funds to the exchange’s creditors, including Kraken and Japanese exchanges Bitbank and SBI VC Trade. Notably, Mt. Gox still retains possession of 85,234 BTC, valued at approximately $5.70 billion. While some users within the Reddit community have confirmed the receipt of Bitcoin returned by Mt. Gox through Kraken, Bitstamp users have reported not yet receiving their allocations. Kraken had previously announced the successful reception of creditor funds from the Mt. Gox trustee amounting to over $3 billion or 48,641BTC, estimating a timeframe of 7-14 days for the complete deposit of funds into user accounts. Critical Support Zones For Bitcoin In the aftermath of the Mt. Gox payouts, market data analysis platform CryptoQuant has spotted the price correction that BTC has experienced over the past few hours, with the company noting that it has impacted the line of 1-3 month BTC holders. CryptoQuant emphasizes the importance of monitoring support levels, specifically highlighting the $63,600 area, representing the average purchase price of 3-6 month bitcoin holders. Crypto analyst Caleb Franzen, on the other hand, has observed Bitcoin returning to a familiar support zone, which has proven effective. Despite the temporary setback, Franzen contends that Bitcoin has displayed a pattern of higher highs and higher lows in the short term, indicating resilience amidst the current price volatility. Related Reading: Ethereum Price Stays Flat Despite Today’s ETF Debut: QCP Explains Why Further insights provided by analyst Ali Martinez point to a potential double-bottom pattern with bullish relative strength index (RSI) divergence on lower time frames for Bitcoin. If confirmed, Bitcoin could see a rebound to $67,600, contingent upon the critical support level at $66,000 holding firm. Delving into on-chain data, Martinez underscores a crucial support zone for Bitcoin between $63,440 and $65,470. Within this range, approximately 1.89 million addresses collectively purchased 1.23 million BTC, highlighting the significance of this zone as a key area to monitor in the coming days. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
Recent developments surrounding the repayment of creditors and investors of the defunct Bitcoin (BTC) exchange, Mt. Gox, have sparked concerns about potential effects on Bitcoin’s price. As the market retraced over 20% from its three-month high above $70,000, the movement of 47,000 BTC to repay creditors has raised questions about the market’s stability. However, industry experts, including CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju and Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital, have offered insights into this development, suggesting that the impact on BTC’s price may be less significant than initially feared. Internal Transfers, OTC, And Brokerage Services Examined Ki Young Ju, in an analysis shared on social media, outlined three possible scenarios for the BTC transactions related to creditor repayment. Firstly, an internal transfer could have taken place to increase security by changing wallets. Secondly, an over-the-counter (OTC) deal may have been executed specifically not to impact the market price. Related Reading: Is This Ethereum ICO Project To Blame For ETH’s Price Slump? In a third scenario, a brokerage service may have been used, possibly involving the sale of the BTC after it bypassed broker wallets and exchanges. Ju mentioned that 1.5K BTC went to Bitbank, Japan’s largest crypto exchange. Still, no significant increase in trading volume was observed, indicating that it may not significantly impact the market. According to Ju’s analysis: If scenario 3 applies, 94K BTC is available for sell-side liquidity, but selling this much BTC without on-chain movement is unlikely. If it’s OTC selling, we’re in the clear. Holding Bitcoin Over USD Payouts? Alex Thorn of Galaxy Digital offered additional insight into the Mt. Gox creditor dynamics and their potential impact on the market, noting that fewer coins may be distributed than originally anticipated, which could result in less selling pressure on Bitcoin than the market expects. Thorn noted that the majority of creditors are long-term Bitcoin enthusiasts with a “deep understanding” of the technology, for which he believes their desire to reclaim their coins rather than accept a USD-denominated payout indicates a strong preference for holding onto their Bitcoin, which would not contribute to an expected sell-off. Related Reading: Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Crashes 5% To Lowest Level In 3 Months, What Happens Next? In addition, Thorn explained that the significant capital gains implications of selling BTC may discourage creditors from liquidating their holdings. Despite the relatively low recovery rate, Thorn believes the 140x appreciation since bankruptcy offers significant value to creditors who may choose to hold on to their coins and expect further price appreciation. At the time of writing, the leading cryptocurrency in the market is being traded at $56,300. This reflects a decrease of over 1.5% within the past 24 hours and a decline of nearly 20% over the month. Ultimately, it remains to be seen how the Mt. Gox drama will unfold and how it will or will not affect the Bitcoin price after more than 10 years of waiting for creditors to receive their payments. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com