FTX begins strategic review, seeks court relief to pay critical vendors

Destroyed cryptocurrency exchange On Saturday, FTX announced that it had started a strategic evaluation of its global assets and was getting ready to sell or reorganize some companies.

A court order was also requested by FTX and roughly 101 related companies to permit the functioning of a new global cash management system and the payment of its essential vendors.

In one of the most publicized crypto meltdowns, the exchange and its affiliates filed for bankruptcy in Delaware on November 11. An estimated million users and other investors are expected to have lost billions of dollars as a result.

According to a statement from the company's new CEO John Ray, FTX would look into sales, recapitalizations, or other strategic transactions for some of its units.

In a court document filed on Saturday, FTX requested authorization to pay prepetition claims of up to $17.5 million after the entry of the final decision and up to $9.3 million after an interim order to its essential vendors.

The exchange said that its businesses would suffer "immediate and irreparable loss" if the requested court relief was not granted.

FTX's Ray stated, "Based on our evaluation over the past week, we are glad to see that many of FTX's regulated or licensed subsidiaries, both inside and outside of the United States, have healthy balance sheets, responsible management, and significant franchises.

According to FTX, as of Nov. 16, there were 216 debtor bank accounts with positive balances; however, as of yet, the company has only been able to confirm the balances in 144 of those accounts.

Subject to court clearance, the company has selected Perella Weinberg Partners LP as its principal investment bank to assist with the selling process.