HashFast Staves Off Involuntary Bankruptcy In San Francisco Court

A federal bankruptcy judge gave HashFast permission to sell some of its stock and hire a chief restructuring officer.

AccessTimeIconMay 30, 2014 at 9:10 p.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 2:59 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Bitcoin mining hardware manufacturer HashFast has avoided being forced into involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings by signing a deal with its creditors.

Under the deal, signed in a federal bankruptcy court in San Francisco, HashFast will commit to an accelerated restructuring in order to meet its obligations. Mining company Liquidbits sought court approval last week for HashFast to enter an involuntary bankruptcy in order to recoup funds lost after HashFast failed to deliver on a $6m order.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • reported that HashFast is now able to resume part of its business. However, the bankruptcy court placed restrictions on the manner in which the company can sell products in keeping with previous agreements struck during arbitration.

    The court order read:

    “Subject to the other provisions of this Paragraph 2, HashFast may operate only in the ordinary course of its business.”

    Permission to sell inventory

    US Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali gave HashFast the go-ahead to begin selling some of its mining chip inventory, up to 1,000 units, as a way to raise funds. As part of the agreement, the company can raise no more than $100,000 by this method.

    The court order also stipulated that the company’s creditors may grant future approval for more chip sales.

    HashFast has provided its creditors with pricing figures for the products it intends to sell, and must abide by an agreement to not sell them for any more than the agreed-upon amount. The court also said that HashFast’s creditors must keep this information in strict confidence.

    HashFast to hire chief restructuring officer

    HashFast has agreed to hire an outside counsel to serve as chief restructuring officer during the process. Any candidate is subject to approval from the company’s creditors, the court said.

    According to Ars, HashFast has reportedly retained the services of an attorney from the Brincko Group, a law office specializing in corporate restructuring and bankruptcies. The company’s lawyer also noted that this person has already been brought onto the team to help begin the restructuring effort immediately.

    The court decision represents the first hint of a turnaround for the company, which in March had its bitcoin wallets frozen.

    For months HashFast has been dogged by customer complaints and allegations of fraud. In early May, the company announced that it was firing 50 percent of its staff, saying the layoffs were a result of a business model restructuring rather than preparations for possible bankruptcy.

    Bankruptcy court image via Shutterstock

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.