Home / Capital & Crypto / Binance and ShapeShift #DelistBSV; Kraken and Others Under Pressure

Binance and ShapeShift #DelistBSV; Kraken and Others Under Pressure

Last Updated March 4, 2021 2:44 PM
P. H. Madore
Last Updated March 4, 2021 2:44 PM

By CCN.com: Following last week’s threat to do so, Binance has officially announced that Bitcoin SV will no longer trade on its popular platform as of April 22nd. Withdrawals must be made from the platform by July 22nd, according to an official post.

The reasons cited by Binance are “officious” in nature, but the community is fully aware this is related to Chenpeng Zhao’s annoyance at the antics of Craig Wright and Calvin Ayre, the most notable proponents of Bitcoin SV. Officially, the exchange lists several possible factors:

  • Commitment of team to project
  • Level and quality of development activity
  • Network / smart contract stability
  • Level of public communication
  • Responsiveness to our periodic due diligence requests
  • Evidence of unethical / fraudulent conduct
  • Contribution to a healthy and sustainable crypto ecosystem

The last part is probably where Craig Wright’s wild west-style pursuit of the identity of @Hodlonaut fails the most. Some on Twitter have pointed out that Calvin Ayre and Craig Wright’s antics on the social network amount to unethical behavior. In a concise tweet, this user identified the ways that Bitcoin SV personalities have violated Binance’s code of conduct:

ShapeShift Delists BSV – Kraken Next?

ShapeShift.io’s Erik Voorhees has also announced that his instant coin exchange will no longer support Bitcoin SV effective within 48 hours of the post (so in less than two days.)

Erik Voorhees is an old-school cryptonaught and a libertarian. The pursuit and potential prosecution of a Twitter Bitcoin maximalist for speaking his mind about Craig Wright doesn’t sit well with many. Voorhees has previously made philosophical decisions as regards ShapeShift, like when the company chose to exit New York rather than attempt to comply with the BitLicense regulations.

Kraken also left New York in 2015, and the exchange is currently polling as to whether it should delist Bitcoin SV in solidarity with @hodlonaut and Binance. Kraken was reluctant when it initially listed BSV. Thus far the “yes” option has received over 70% support:

The poll is not limited to Kraken users, unfortunately, making it a decidedly less accurate measure to use in decision making. However, the volume of Bitcoin SV across exchanges is statistically insignificant by comparison to several other cryptocurrencies, therefore the perceived lost revenue will be offset by the boost to optics. Overwhelmingly, Crypto Twitter wants justice for @Hodlonaut, and delisting is seen as a means of free market justice.

Other Exchanges, Including Huobi and OkEx, Feel the Pressure

Looking at other major markets who list BSV, their recent tweets are flooded with calls to delist BSV as well. Huobi, a long-time leader in crypto exchanges, is no exception. Seemingly, its recent tweets are more popular as a result:

Here’s a Tweet from last Friday, which only received four responses:

Crypto Twitter didn’t forget about OKEx, either. “Speaking of fraud…” says one user:

BitForex, which conducted most of Bitcoin SV’s volume over the past 24 hours at press time, posted a retweet about the Binance delisting recently, which may be foreboding for Bitcoin SV holders:

The company hasn’t officially announced a delisting, but it seems obvious where the exchange stands on the issue.

Some Exchanges Busy Fielding More Pressing Complaints

HitBTC, a popular altcoin exchange with many outstanding support requests  and allegations against it, is so far quiet on the issue. They were the #10 exchange for BSV in the 24 hour period.

Bit-Z, the #8 exchange for BSV over the past 24 hours, has not made an announcement.

Another top exchange for BSV, CoinBene, hasn’t been pressured regarding BSV, but it’s facing other issues:

Overall, the social momentum in the crypto space seems to be moving toward a mass delisting campaign against Bitcoin SV.

Craig Wright Widens Legal Expedition

Calvin Ayre seems calm, as does Craig Wright, who recently announced an actual lawsuit against Vitalik Buterin and other entities.  The beef between Buterin and Wright stems from Buterin’s outburst at last year’s Deconomy conference, in which he was perhaps the first loudly declare Wright a “fraud.”

Buterin has not publicly commented on the legal action, although he has voiced support for delisting BSV:

https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1117847091038932992

He also indicated that he won’t be launching any counter-suits:

https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1116640719152668672

Buterin made that statement before the announcement that he’d been hit with some legal work similar to that leveled @Hodlonaut, however. The story of Ethereum’s actual creator and Bitcoin’s self-proclaimed creator seems to be just beginning, it seems.