Celsius Enlists Advisers for Potential Bankruptcy, According to WSJ Report

Per the lending platform’s terms of use, clients are not guaranteed the return of their funds if Celsius declares bankruptcy

article-image

Source: Shutterstock

share
  • Celsius has hired restructuring consultants from advisory firm Alvarez & Marsal, according to the WSJ
  • The last public communication from the Celsius team came via blog post on June 19, one week after it announced the halt

Celsius has hired restructuring consultants in preparation for a potential bankruptcy filing, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. 

The crypto lending firm — which earlier this month halted withdrawals, swaps and transfers — has reportedly hired three consultants from advisory firm Alvarez & Marsal. 

If the lending firm declares bankruptcy, there is no guarantee customers will be able to recover any funds held on the platform. 

“In the event that Celsius becomes bankrupt, enters liquidation or is otherwise unable to repay its obligations, you may not be able to recover or regain ownership of such Digital Assets,” Celsius’s terms of use state.

The last public communication from the Celsius team came via blog post on June 19, one week after the halt. 

“As has been a priority since our company’s inception, we maintain an open dialogue with regulators and officials,” the post read. “We plan to continue working with regulators and officials regarding this pause and our company’s determination to find a resolution.” 

The post did not address the potential for bankruptcy or the status of consumer funds. 

The lender initially halted withdrawals, swaps and transfers in an attempt to “stabilize our liquidity and operations,” amid volatile market conditions, the company said. Celsius has also paused its weekly question and answer sessions with the community until further notice. 

Celsius did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Marina Bay Sands Singapore

October 7, 2026

DAS Asia is a a single-day summit at Marina Bay Sands Singapore featuring conversations between the builders, investors, and global leaders are shaping the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in Asia & North America.

Hilton Park Lane, London

November 10-11, 2026

DAS London is a two-day summit at the Hilton Park Lane in London featuring conversations between the builders, allocators, and policy makers who are shaping the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the UK, Europe, and North America.

recent research

Onchain Gacha Cover Image.png

Research

Onchain gacha platforms sold $284.3 million of digital card packs in July 2026, and Collector Crypt accounted for more than half of that activity. However, it buys back 92.9% of what it sells, which leaves it with a third of the category's revenue on more than half of its volume, and a quarter of its activity arrives through partner apps whose users it does not own. Courtyard runs the opposite model, a consumer app selling smaller packs to thousands of retail buyers who resell the cards to each other, and it took 59.7% of category revenue while growing through a month the category spent contracting. This report compares the five largest platforms on gross activity, buyback intensity, revenue after buybacks, consumer composition, marketplace liquidity, and distribution ownership, and finds Courtyard the strongest performer as of July 2026, with the qualification that none of the five discloses inventory costs or resale proceeds, so no platform in the category can yet be shown to be profitable.

Newsletter

The Breakdown

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Blockworks Research

Unlock crypto's most powerful research platform.

Our research packs a punch and gives you actionable takeaways for each topic.

SubscribeGet in touch

Blockworks Inc.

133 W 19th St., New York, NY 10011

Blockworks Network

PodcastsNewslettersEventsRoundtablesAnalytics