- Celsius offered customers high-interest rates that were unregistered security and operated largely outside the law.
- Celsius customers did not receive critical disclosures about its financial condition.
- It is still unclear what will happen to the accounts that have been frozen.
The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation has joined a multistate inquiry into Celsius. It says that Celsius offered customers high-interest rates (up to 17%) which are unregistered security and operated primarily outside the law.
Celsius Network is a cryptocurrency firm that provides interest-bearing cryptocurrency accounts to its clients. In the agreement, Customers were promised high-interest rates by Celsius.
On June 12, 2022, Celsius announced that it was suspending all withdrawals, exchanges, and transfers between customer accounts. This decision has ramifications for hundreds of thousands of Vermont accounts. The Department of Financial Regulation is investigating the matter.
People familiar with the matter added, “Celsius has been operating primarily outside the law”. This is a serious accusation, and if true, it could mean that the company’s activities were illegal. The Department of Financial Regulation’s investigation will help to determine if this is the case.
Further, due to its failure to register its interest accounts as securities, Celsius customers did not receive critical disclosures about its financial condition, investing activities, risk factors, and ability to repay its obligations to depositors and other creditors.
At this time, it is unclear what will happen to the accounts that have been frozen. The Department of Financial Regulation’s investigation will help to determine what happens next. Vermonters who have questions about their accounts should contact the Department. Celcius Network however, has not yet released a statement in response to the Financial Regulation’s investigation.
The Company’s previous representations, as made by its CEO and other Celsius representatives about the safety of client funds and the company’s capacity to fulfil withdrawal promises, were incorrect.
The Department’s investigation will focus on, among other things, whether the interest-bearing accounts offered by Celsius are securities, and if so, whether the company violated Vermont law by failing to register the offering or provide disclosures required by Vermont law. The investigation will also seek to determine what happened to customer funds and what recourse customers have.
