Solana-Based Bitcoin Derivative Plummets Amid FTX Fallout

A Solana-based crypto asset, Solet Bitcoin (soBTC), experienced a dramatic value collapse on Friday when FTX US, its sole exchange for converting to actual bitcoin, froze withdrawals. Despite initial speculation that FTX and Alameda held the backing bitcoin, many had doubted its existence due to its close ties with the fallen exchange. The freezing of withdrawals effectively stranded soBTC holders and raised concerns about its collateralization status.

Solana-Based Bitcoin Derivative Collapses Amid FTX Fallout

New York, November 12, 2022 - A Solana-based cryptocurrency asset, Sollet Bitcoin (soBTC), experienced a dramatic collapse in value on Friday before recovering partially, as news of FTX US's bankruptcy filing and subsequent freeze on withdrawals sent shockwaves through the market.

The wrapped asset, purportedly backed 1-to-1 with actual Bitcoin, plunged by $10,000 on Friday afternoon, according to decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Raydium. This came after FTX US, previously the sole platform for converting soBTC into Bitcoin, abruptly froze withdrawals.

The move prompted widespread speculation and concern within Solana's DeFi ecosystem, where many had long suspected that FTX and its sister company, Alameda Research, held the Bitcoin reserves backing soBTC. Indeed, sources revealed that FTX employees were notified of every soBTC withdrawal via the company's internal Slack channel, highlighting the intertwined nature of the Bitcoin derivative and Sam Bankman-Fried's trading empire.

With FTX US serving as the only gateway for soBTC holders to redeem their assets for actual Bitcoin, the withdrawal freeze effectively stranded those who still held the approximately 16,000 soBTC in circulation at the time of writing.

According to data from blockchain indexer SolanaFM, a staggering 90% of soBTC is held in wallets controlled by FTX or Alameda, suggesting that traders had relatively small holdings of the asset heading into the crisis.

In anticipation of the worst, several DeFi projects on Solana took steps to limit their exposure to soBTC and related risks. Crypto lending protocols Solend and Hubble, as well as decentralized exchange Mango Markets, implemented measures to minimize the potential impact on their users and platforms.

"All Sollet wrapped assets like soBTC are backed by FTX, so nobody knows the collateralization status of those assets," explained Ben Chow, co-founder of DeFi protocol Jupiter Aggregator.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding soBTC, its early adoption and perceived backing by FTX and Alameda had made it a widely accepted form of collateral across Solana's DeFi ecosystem. As long as the peg held and FTX honored redemptions, soBTC was regarded as a reliable representation of digital gold.

"The whole of Solana DeFi that has BTC as collateral has issues," said one anonymous source.

The collapse of soBTC serves as a stark reminder of the interconnectedness and risks inherent in the cryptocurrency industry. As major exchanges and trading firms face scrutiny and potential collapse, the value of assets tied to them can be severely impacted, leaving investors and traders vulnerable to significant losses.

Updates:

• November 11, 2022, 21:35 UTC: Additional context added.
• November 11, 2022, 22:42 UTC: Information about reopened withdrawals included.