Solana’s Wrapped Bitcoin Price Craters, Recovers After FTX Shuts Exit Ramp

FTX filed for bankruptcy and FTX US later froze withdrawals, before reversing course.

AccessTimeIconNov 11, 2022 at 7:47 p.m. UTC
Updated May 9, 2023 at 4:02 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

A Solana-based crypto asset tied to the price of bitcoin temporarily collapsed in value Friday after CoinDesk reported that FTX US – the only venue left to exchange it for real bitcoin – had frozen withdrawals.

Sollet Bitcoin (soBTC), a so-called “wrapped” asset supposedly backed 1-to-1 with bitcoin, plummeted $10,000 at around 2:00 p.m. ET, according to decentralized finance protocol Raydium. It had already spent much of the day trading below its bitcoin peg on the news that FTX had filed for bankruptcy protection.

  • What's Stopping Congress From Passing Crypto Regulation?
    00:56
    What's Stopping Congress From Passing Crypto Regulation?
  • Sen. Lummis Addresses Algorithmic Stablecoin Ban in New Bill
    19:02
    Sen. Lummis Addresses Algorithmic Stablecoin Ban in New Bill
  • Why Bitcoin May Fall to $52K
    14:59
    Why Bitcoin May Fall to $52K
  • JPMorgan Expects Bitcoin to Drop After Halving; New Zealand Starts Digital Cash Consultation
    02:15
    JPMorgan Expects Bitcoin to Drop After Halving; New Zealand Starts Digital Cash Consultation
  • The wrapped asset later recovered much of its value after FTX US inexplicably reversed course and reopened withdrawals, allowing traders to once again exit their positions. FTX US communicated neither move to the public.

    That soBTC would follow FTX into the proverbial “Goblintown” would surprise few in Solana’s decentralized finance (DeFi) circles, many of whom had long speculated that FTX and Alameda held the bitcoin that backed it.

    Indeed, so intertwined was the bitcoin derivative and Sam Bankman-Fried’s trading empire that exchange employees were pinged on every withdrawal in the company Slack, a person said.

    FTX was the only place traders could redeem their Solana-based bitcoin for real bitcoin. Shuttering withdrawals Friday, FTX effectively stranded everyone who still held the 16,000-odd soBTC still in circulation at press time Friday.

    According to developers at blockchain indexer SolanaFM, 90% of soBTC is on wallets controlled by FTX or Alameda, meaning the coin’s traders had meager holdings of soBTC going into the crash.

    Part of that could be due to DeFi projects preparing for the worst. Crypto lending protocols Solend and Hubble and decentralized exchange Mango Markets took steps to limit their and their users’ exposure in the final hours Friday.

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

    The community’s collective belief in FTX and Alameda was nonetheless enough to turn the early entrant to Solana ecosystem into critical collateral across the chain’s DeFi landscape, people told CoinDesk. It was the Solana-based stand-in for the best-known and most valuable crypto asset; as long as it remained pegged – and FTX honored redemptions – soBTC was as good as digital gold.

    “The whole of Solana DeFi that has BTC as collateral has issues,” one person who requested pseudonymity told CoinDesk.

    UPDATE (Nov. 11, 2022, 21:35 UTC): Adds context.

    UPDATE (Nov. 11, 2022, 22:42 UTC): Adds information about reopened withdrawals.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Danny Nelson

    Danny is CoinDesk's Managing Editor for Data & Tokens. He owns BTC, ETH and SOL.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.



    Read more about