Singapore-based crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) has received approval from U.S. courts to increase the size of its bankruptcy claim against defunct exchange FTX by more than tenfold.
This latest courtroom victory comes after years of battles from the hedge fund, which began in 2022 following the Terraform Labs, FTX, and broader crypto market collapse, forced it to default on over $3.5 billion on loans.
As per the ruling , the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware gave the green light to 3AC liquidators’ request to increase their claim against FTX. Now, 3AC’s $120 million claim has been massively increased to $1.53 billion.
It follows a motion filed by 3AC liquidators Russell Crumpler and Christopher, who filed their initial proof of claim back in June 2023. The claim argued that FTX had liquidated and seized roughly $1.33 billion of 3AC’s assets just two weeks before the latter’s downfall in June 2022.
3AC alleges this could have been avoided and was “unfair” whilst also alleging that FTX had undervalued these assets. The $1.53 billion, as granted by the courts, reflects this value plus additional damages.
The courts highlight that FTX withheld vital records, which forced 3AC liquidators to leverage raw data to evaluate the losses. This resulted in significant delays, and liquidators were unable to confirm the size of the claim until August 2024.
FTX objected, arguing the amendment was filed too late and that increasing the claims would violate the bankruptcy process. Evidently, the courts have disagreed, ruling that the delays are a direct result of FTX.
It’s worth noting that this ruling doesn’t automatically grant 3AC $1.53 billion. Instead, this approval claim is subject to further litigation and the FTX creditor redistribution plan.
3AC is also seeking $1.3 billion from Terraform Lab as it bids to recover over $3.3 billion in creditor funds.
Terraform was behind the TerraUSD stablecoin, and its $40 billion collapse, which placed founder Do Kwon in legal hot water and reached a multi-billion settlement with regulators.
According to former FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), FTX always had the liquidity available to pay creditors.
Notably, he hinted that FTX would have been able to pay everyone off, in kind, if regulators and prosecutors hadn’t begun peeling money away through the bankruptcy process.