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

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Flashnote Template (41).png

Research

We believe that few tokens at the application layer are diverging more from fundamentals than ZORA. Its fully-diluted P/S sits at 90x, pricing significant growth despite a consistent decline in weekly revenues since late July. We foresee an 80% decrease in protocol net margins due to a recent update to the fee structure that reduces trading fees from 3% to 1%, while boosting creators’ portion of the fee split. ZORA’s supply overhang also represents a near-term headwind, with 45% of ZORA’s supply (4.5B tokens or $350M at current prices) earmarked for the team & investors beginning to unlock on October 23, 2025 (36-month linear vesting schedule).

article-image

Insiders have the best information — markets should be willing to pay for it

article-image

The CFTC-regulated exchange is opening doors to crypto builders and traders through grants, partnerships, and new deposit options

by Blockworks /
article-image

DFS tells banking organizations to integrate blockchain monitoring tools to curb money laundering and sanctions risks

by Blockworks /
article-image

New short and long-term priorities include L1 gas boosts, ZK-EVMs, privacy reads, and a lean, quantum-resistant Ethereum

by Blockworks /
article-image

The new stBTC token redistributes Bitcoin gas fees to users, creating liquid yield without inflation or lockups

by Blockworks /
article-image

The reserve will collect protocol revenues to back W token, alongside new yield and unlock schedule

by Blockworks /