Fahrenheit Outbids NovaWulf to Acquire $2B in Crypto Assets

•Fahrenheit wins bid to acquire assets of crypto lender Celsius
•The consortium includes Arrington Capital and the Blockchain Recovery Investment Consortium as a backup bidder.
•To finalize the agreement, Fahrenheit must make a $10 million deposit within three days.

Fahrenheit Wins Bid for Celsius Network Assets

Court filings have revealed that cryptocurrency consortium Fahrenheit emerged as the successful bidder to acquire insolvent crypto lender Celsius Network. The acquisition involves Celsius assets previously valued at approximately $2 billion.

Consortium Composition

The court filings show that the consortium will obtain Celsius Network’s institutional loan portfolio, staked cryptocurrencies, mining unit and other alternative investments. The group must make a $10 million deposit within three days to finalize the agreement. After a lengthy auction process, Fahrenheit — a consortium of buyers comprising venture capital firm Arrington Capital and miner US Bitcoin Corp — was chosen as the successful bidder. The Blockchain Recovery Investment Consortium (BRIC), including Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corp and GXD Labs, secured the backup position. Rival bidder NovaWulf, which was initially favored, ultimately lost out.

Asset Estimate

As per the agreement, the new company will receive a substantial amount of liquid cryptocurrency, estimated to be between $450 million and $500 million. US Bitcoin Corp will also construct crypto mining facilities, including a state-of-the-art 100-megawatt plant.

Regulatory Approval Required

While Celsius and its creditors have accepted the bid, regulatory approval is still required to complete the acquisition. Bankruptcy court judge Martin Glenn had previously cautioned about potential “regulatory roadblocks” that could impede Celsius’s sale. Similarly, crypto exchange Binance.US terminated its purchase of Voyager’s $1 billion in assets due to federal officials appealing the sale, citing the uncertain regulatory environment in the United States.

Final Steps Toward Agreement

In the coming weeks, Celsius intends to negotiate and publicly file a plan sponsor agreement with Fahrenheit, a backup plan sponsor agreement with BRIC, a revised Chapter 11 plan and a disclosure statement—all of which remain subject to bankruptcy court approval—in order to complete its purchase agreement with Fahrenheit’s consortium