EXCLUSIVE. Yield App bankruptcy: at least $300 million frozen

28.06.2024
EXCLUSIVE. Yield App bankruptcy: at least $300 million frozen
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Launched in 2020, the company, which offers investments in DeFi, has just gone bankrupt. According to our information, more than 100,000 customers are affected.

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It was a particularly rude awakening for Yield App customers. This Friday morning, the company, which offers investments in decentralised finance (DeFi) through a mobile app, announced that it was bankrupt and had started liquidation proceedings. All 70 employees have been made redundant.

On Twitter, the Seychelles-registered company explained that this situation was the result of losses linked to hedge funds caught up in the fall of FTX in 2022.

"All Yield App activities are suspended pending discussions with the liquidators. This decision has been taken to ensure fair treatment of all customers," the company explained.

According to our information, at least $300 million is frozen on Yield App, which has just over 100,000 customers. When questioned, several Yield App customers confirmed that they were unable to withdraw their funds.

Launched in 2020, Yield App was one of the few DeFi players, especially with its own token (YLD, which has plummeted by 60% in the last 24 hours), that managed to withstand the collapse of FTX. In recent months, the company led by Tim Frost had even become more aggressive outside of Asia, particularly in Europe.

According to our information, Yield App had started spending several hundred thousand dollars with media and influencer agencies in Europe, particularly in France. But it seems this was more of a desperate attempt than a real strategic development. Much to the dismay of users...

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Raphaël Bloch

Raphaël Bloch is CEO and co-founder of The Big Whale, an independent market intelligence platform on digital assets serving financial market participants through editorial coverage, research, a weekly briefing, and in-person events. He co-founded The Big Whale in April 2022. At the platform, he moderates and hosts institutional events bringing together banks, asset managers, custodians, and infrastructure providers on topics including staking, on-chain yield, stablecoins, DeFi lending, and tokenisation. He has moderated panels at events hosted in partnership with Bitwise, Everstake, Gemini, Morpho, Hexarq, Coinhouse, Delubac, Franklin Templeton, and the Ethereum Foundation, held in London and Paris between late 2025 and mid-2026.

Before founding The Big Whale, Bloch worked as a reporter at Les Echos from December 2016 to March 2020, then at L'Express from March 2020 to March 2022. He also previously worked at Reuters. Since September 2022, he has held a concurrent role as Business Analyst at BFM Business. He has been active in crypto journalism since 2016. He holds degrees from emlyon and the CFJ.

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