Crypto Lender Genesis Prepares to Liquidate Without Deal With Parent Company
The move comes after New York’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against Genesis and parent Digital Currency Group
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Crypto lender Genesis Global is pursuing a chapter 11 liquidation plan that abandons a previous settlement proposal to restructure the $1.7 billion in loans it extended to its parent company Digital Currency Group.
Genesis filed court papers Wednesday for a plan to exit from chapter 11 without a resolution of its claims against DCG, the crypto conglomerate founded by finance veteran Barry Silbert. Genesis is now preparing to liquidate its assets without the settlement proposal reached in August that intended to deliver estimated recoveries of between 70% to 90% for Genesis customers, including users of crypto exchange Gemini Trust’s Earn program.
The settlement proposal didn’t get the support of key stakeholders, notably Gemini and its founders, the Winklevoss brothers, and the parties had been in continuing negotiations. Ultimately, Genesis was unable to reach an agreement with DCG on final debt terms, Genesis said in filings with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York.
And last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Gemini Trust, Genesis and DCG for allegedly defrauding more than 230,000 investors of more than $1 billion. In light of the lawsuit, Genesis and the official committee representing its customers determined that a settlement with DCG isn’t a viable route, Genesis said in the filings.
A Genesis spokesperson said the lawsuit’s claims against the company have no basis, and it has been cooperating with all authorities.
A DCG spokesperson last week said the firm was blindsided by the lawsuit because it cooperated with the attorney general’s investigation. Gemini last week said it disagreed with being named in the lawsuit because the company and its Earn program investors are victims of fraud.
The attorney general’s lawsuit alleges that Gemini misled investors in the Earn program by failing to disclose its risks despite knowing that Genesis’s cryptocurrency loans were undercollateralized and heavily concentrated.
Under the new plan, Genesis customers can expect estimated recoveries of between 61% to 77%, pending court approval. Genesis filed for bankruptcy in January in the wake of the collapse of crypto exchange FTX.
The customers’ estimated recoveries under the new plan is smaller compared with a settlement with DCG that would have delivered more value upfront. Now, customers would have to wait for the outcome of litigation against DCG seeking to collect on its outstanding loans from Genesis.
A DCG spokesperson said in an email that the company remains committed to reaching a fair resolution for all parties, and that a resolution through litigation would result in far lesser recoveries for creditors. The spokesperson also said the company is “fully prepared to defend and win.”
The prior settlement was meant to restructure DCG’s debts to Genesis, including about $630 million in a past-due unsecured loan, and a $1.1 billion unsecured promissory note due in 2032.
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Luxury watch anniversaries often produce overtly nostalgic designs. Rolex has taken a more restrained route for the centenary of the Oyster, translating references to its 1926 breakthrough into a contemporary Oyster Perpetual 41 rather than reproducing a historic model.
The original Rolex Oyster is central to the company’s mythology. Introduced in 1926, it was presented as the first waterproof wristwatch, using a hermetically sealed case to protect the movement from water and dust. The architecture would go on to underpin the professional and everyday watches that built Rolex’s global reputation.
One hundred years later, the new Oyster Perpetual 41 carries details intended to echo that origin. Rolex describes the model as a centenary tribute and positions it within the direct line of descendants from the first Oyster. The appeal is not a conspicuous anniversary inscription, but the idea that an apparently simple three-hand watch embodies a century of incremental refinement.
Hans Waldorf, the founder of Rolex and Tudor. Image credit: Rolex
At 41 millimetres, it has the scale expected of the modern Oyster Perpetual line. The case, bracelet and automatic movement follow Rolex’s familiar formula: robust construction, legibility and an absence of unnecessary complication. That simplicity is precisely what gives the model breadth. It can serve as a first serious watch, an understated daily piece or a historically meaningful addition to a larger collection.
The launch also arrives as Rolex strengthens its Superlative Chronometer certification. The company says its 2026 standard expands the testing framework with additional criteria addressing magnetism, reliability and sustainability. Buyers should treat those claims as manufacturer specifications until independent long-term testing becomes available, but the change shows where major watchmakers see the next contest for credibility: not only accuracy, but resilience over years of ownership.
For collectors, the centenary context will be the headline. For everyone else, the attraction is more elemental. The Oyster Perpetual has no rotating bezel, chronograph registers or calendar window demanding attention. It is Rolex reduced to its essentials — waterproof case, automatic movement, clear dial and a design intended to outlast fashion.
That makes the 100th-anniversary model a fitting tribute. The original Oyster was important because it made a wristwatch more usable in daily life. A century later, Rolex is celebrating it with a watch designed around the same promise.
About Rolex
Hans Wilsdorf was a German-born watchmaker and entrepreneur, best known for founding Rolex and Tudor. Pioneering innovations like the waterproof Oyster case (1926) and self-winding Perpetual rotor (1931), he transformed wristwatches into precise, durable luxury items.
A master marketer, he introduced brand ambassadors and global expansion strategies. In 1945, he created the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, ensuring Rolex’s profits support philanthropic causes beyond his death in 1960.
Two coming 2027 models – the first of the “Neue Klasse” cars coming to the U.S. early next year – have been revealed.
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