CustodyStress
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Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-01034

Platform bankruptcy — FTX (2022)

Indeterminate
Case description
As the FTX bankruptcy estate began the lengthy claims submission process in December 2022, creditors were required to submit proof-of-claim forms through a digital portal under tight deadlines. The portal experienced technical difficulties during high-traffic periods. Creditors who missed deadlines, submitted incomplete documentation, or lacked records of their balances prior to the collapse faced a reduced or barred claim. The administrative burden fell entirely on already-distressed customers.
Custody context
Stress conditionVendor lockout
Custody systemExchange custody
OutcomeIndeterminate
DocumentationUnknown
Year observed2022
CountryUnited States
Structural dependencies observed
Institutional cooperation required
What this illustrates
Getting access back required help from an institution — and that help wasn't available. It's not clear whether anyone ever regained access.
Outcome interpretation
Not enough information is available to determine the outcome.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
News article
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Framework references
Terms guide
Survives
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Constrained
Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.
Blocked
Access was not possible under the reported conditions.
Indeterminate
There was not enough information to determine the outcome.
Single-person knowledge
Recovery depended on information or capability held by one individual who was unavailable.
Institutional dependence
Recovery depended on a third-party institution or service that was inaccessible or uncooperative.
Documentation gap
Recovery depended on instructions that were missing, incomplete, or unclear.
Authority mismatch
The person with legal authority to act did not have operational access, or vice versa.
Original text
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