Cryptocurrencies fell heavily on Tuesday and the native token of crypto exchange FTX collapsed by 15 per cent as investors appeared to take fright at talk of pressure on FTX’s financials.

Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency by market value, was down 4pc at $19,750 and was having its worst day in about two months. Ether, the next largest, fell 5pc.

FTX has come under pressure after the head of rival exchange Binance said on Sunday his firm would liquidate its holdings of the FTX token due to unspecified “recent revelations”.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried said the exchange was “fine” and that concerns were “false rumours”. The firm had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters on Tuesday.

However, the FTX token was last down about 15pc at $18.76 and figures from analytics firm Nansen showing a one-day net outflow from FTX of about $630 million suggested account holders were also getting their money out.

“With FTT headed south, below a major support level … (there are) massive withdrawals out of FTX, across multiple assets,” said Justin d’Anethan institutional, sales director at digital asset firm Amber Group.

“It seems like investors are selling assets or withdrawing them out — probably will be a messy week.”

Crypto enthusiasts had raised questions on Twitter last week about FTX’s token, following a report from news website CoinDesk about a leaked balance sheet from Alameda Research, a trading firm founded by Bankman-Fried that has close ties with FTX.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the accuracy of the report or the origin of the leaked balance sheet, but it seems to have at least rattled fragile market confidence.

“On-chain analytics show hundreds of millions being withdrawn from FTX over the last day,” said Matthew Dibb, chief operating officer of Singapore-based crypto investment manager Stack Funds.

“The question of solvency of FTX has been raised given recent events this year … however, we don’t see any hard data as yet that would confirm this type of view.”

Now you can follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Stuck in the past
Updated 09 Jun, 2023

Stuck in the past

Dar's enduring fixation with the exchange rate suggests that he has learned nothing from past mistakes.
Unequivocal message
09 Jun, 2023

Unequivocal message

AN unmistakably forceful message has been sent out that puts to rest any notion of a house divided. The military top...
Early closure
09 Jun, 2023

Early closure

ON the face of it, closing shops early is a sound idea. Not only would the move help save energy during the stifling...
Qureshi returns
Updated 08 Jun, 2023

Qureshi returns

Powerbrokers fail to grasp that political legitimacy is drawn from public support and can only be contested through the democratic process.
Lawyer’s killing
08 Jun, 2023

Lawyer’s killing

THE shocking murder of Supreme Court lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar on a Quetta thoroughfare on Tuesday raises a number of...
Infinite jest
08 Jun, 2023

Infinite jest

IF this government’s political record were to be described as dark comedy, its economic management would be a...