FTX Begins Repayment to Creditors, But Plan Draws Ire From Bitcoin and Solana Holders

On February 18, 2025, the once-mighty cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which collapsed in late 2022, began repayment to its creditors.

Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX has begun repaying its creditors, prioritizing smaller claims and using asset values from November 2022 to determine the amounts owed.

The exchange, which collapsed in late 2022, is repaying creditors in stages. The first round of payments, totaling $1.2 billion, went out in the first week of March.

Creditors, particularly those holding Bitcoin and Solana, have expressed dissatisfaction with the method used to calculate their compensation. FTX has decided to use the value of their assets from November 2022 to determine how much they are owed. However, creditors have pointed out that they had no choice but to go along with the bankruptcy plan and are now being repaid with less of their original assets than what they are worth today.

FTX’s Reorganization and Distribution Plan

FTX has taken steps toward fulfilling its obligations to creditors, including getting a plan of reorganization approved on January 3, 2025, which instructed the company to pay back $16 billion to creditors in staged payments.

The first stage of the payout happened in the first week of March, with the company paying out about $1.2 billion to a constellation of creditors. According to BNN Bloomberg, “the next stage of the payout is expected to address larger claims, with those creditors potentially set to receive up to 175% of the original value of the claims they filed.”

However, FTX has set aside 50% of the $16 billion to be withheld for disputed claims. This means that while some creditors will receive their payouts soon, others may face delays as their claims are reviewed and contested. Crypto custodian BitGo has been entrusted with managing the fund distributions, and all repayments are expected to be completed within 60 days of the reorganization plan taking effect, which provides a clear deadline for the distribution process to unfold.

Even with a structured plan in place, using repayment prices from November 2022 and withholding a portion of payouts for disputed claims has left a not-so-happy bunch of creditors. Aligning with current market prices would have soothed many a ruffled feather, especially among those who have benefited from significant increases in the value of their holdings since FTX declared bankruptcy.

Unlocking of Solana Tokens and Future Implications

Besides paying back the creditors, FTX will, on March 1, 2025, release a huge quantity of tokens from its bankruptcy estate—specifically, 11.2 million SOL tokens, which at today’s market price are worth about $2.06 billion.

That makes this token release not only one of the largest upcoming releases from FTX’s bankruptcy estate but also one of the largest token releases in general. The size of the release and its timing mean it’s very likely to have a significant impact on the price of Solana.

How these tokens will be released may also add another layer of complexity to FTX’s repayment of creditors. The repayment of creditors is already a difficult problem to solve, and FTX is attempting to do so in phases. But Solana’s price could be significantly affected by the release of 49 million unlocked (or unlocked in part) tokens.

That, of course, is part of what makes Solana holders (as well as creditors) concerned. But what makes it even more concerning for everyone involved is this: If Solana holders will be owed “repayment” in very devalued assets (due to price suppression that could accompany the release of so many unlocked tokens), then what makes Solana holders think they will be treated fairly by a bankruptcy court?

The Road Ahead for FTX Creditors

Even as the repayment process begins, the path forward for FTX creditors is littered with uncertainty and irritation. Authorities have decided that the values to be repaid will be based on prices that prevailed long before the exchange failed. Moreover, they have decided that the repayment process will not be helped along by the immediate release of funds set aside for claims that are still under dispute. In other words, creditors can expect to be paid back, but only after the repayment process has made considerable headway—a prospect that appeared to be offering no better than a light at the end of a lengthy tunnel.

Even though the structured payout plan is easy to understand, it still leaves many questions unanswered. For one thing, it doesn’t say when creditors will get paid. That typically hinges on the bankruptcy plan’s getting approved, which in turn depends on the judge’s being persuaded that it’s feasible and won’t lead to a bunch of lawsuits. And as for the payout itself: Missing from the plan is any indication of what the creditors are actually going to get.

Creditors will likely be watching closely as FTX moves through its bankruptcy process to figure out whether they’ll be receiving any fair compensation for their losses. With $16 billion on the line and a sophisticated distribution plan in place, FTX’s next few months in court will be crucial for creditors—who are,