Huobi (HTX) exchange co-founder Leon Li’s Hong Kong investment holding company Sinohope will recover more than 100% of blocked deposits in the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX through its subsidiary Hbit. According to the May 24 announcement circulated on May 28, Hbit sold creditor claims worth $19.5 million to debt investment firm Ceratosaurus Investors LLC.
What is Happening at Huobi?
The development comes after Sinohope had $18.1 million in deposits in FTX during the November 2022 bankruptcy. The agreement means the firm will recover 108% of its assets. Sinohope was financially impacted by the unrecovered funds. On December 13, 2023, the firm announced it expected a loss of 280 million Hong Kong dollars for the first nine months of the year.
Part of the loss included $86 million Hong Kong dollars in corporate deposits left inactive in the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX. To keep the firm afloat, Leon Li had to personally extend a $14 million personal credit limit to rescue Sinohope customers affected by FTX’s bankruptcy.
On December 11, 2023, another company owned by Leon Li, X-Spot Global, obtained a precautionary injunction against Huobi Global, demanding that Huobi Global stop using the Huobi brand equivalent in China in Hong Kong.
Details of the Process
According to court records, the Huobi brand was registered in Hong Kong in 2019. In September 2022, co-founders Leon Li and Du Jun sold Huobi Global to About Capital Management, an entity linked to Justin Sun. However, before the acquisition, the rights to the Chinese Huobi brand were entirely transferred to Leon Li’s X-Spot Global company, making it the owner of the brand. Huobi later rebranded as HTX last September.
Amid the ongoing bull market, the sharp rise in crypto prices increased the value of most claims by FTX creditors, which are mostly in cryptocurrency. Current estimates of FTX’s damage recovery rates range between 129% and 143%.
