FTX Japan Restarts Withdrawals of Customer Assets

FTX Japan, the Japanese arm of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has restarted withdrawals of customer assets. The withdrawal process is being facilitated through the Liquid Japan web platform, and customers will be required to confirm their asset balance and transfer them to their Liquid Japan account.

「法定通貨の出金および暗号資産の出庫のサービス再開のご案内」を掲載致しました。こちらをご確認ください。https://t.co/Vu5jDnBBb3

— FTX Japan (@FTX_JP) February 20, 2023

Customers who don’t have a Liquid Japan account will need to open one to withdraw their assets. The announcement comes in line with FTX’s December promise that it would allow its customers to make withdrawals from Liquid Japan and FTX Japan in early 2023.

However, the exchange highlighted that the large volume of withdrawal requests could lead to delays in processing, and the resumption of other FTX Japan services will be announced in due course.

FTX and its 134 affiliates filed for bankruptcy in the US last year, causing FTX Japan and Liquid.com to stop withdrawals. The collapse also locked up digital assets belonging to about nine million customers, worth billions of dollars in legal proceedings. The administrators of FTX are currently fighting for control of about $3.5 billion worth of cryptocurrencies that the financial markets regulator in The Bahamas is holding, which belong to FTX customers.

About FTX Japan

The Japanese subsidiary launched operations in June 2022 and held approximately JPY 19.6 billion in cash and digital assets worth more than $138 million when it ceased operations in November. It was also facing regulatory action as Japan’s Kanto Local Finance Bureau suspended its local license until March 9, 2023, due to the misdeeds of its parent company. FTX management received permission to sell four independently run entities, including FTX Japan, under bankruptcy proceedings.