Ex-Mt. Gox CEO to right wrongs with new exchange EllipX

As an analyst with years of experience under my belt, I find myself intrigued by Mark Karpelès’ return to the crypto world. His decision to establish EllipX, a new crypto exchange, is not only a testament to resilience but also a bold move towards making amends for the past.


In simple terms, the previous CEO of Mt. Gox, Mark Karpelès, declared the launch of a fresh cryptocurrency exchange as an attempt to rectify the issues that led to the downfall of the old Bitcoin trading platform

At Korea Blockchain Week 2024, Karpelès announced that their upcoming crypto exchange, named EllipX, would be established in Poland. Furthermore, Karpelès mentioned that EllipX will abide by the European Union’s groundbreaking Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation

As a researcher, I’ve learned that EllipX, previously known as Mt. Gox, has unveiled ambitious expansion plans beyond its European debut. Remarkably, the platform intends to honor its roots by extending a 50% discount on trading fees to former Mt. Gox users

At the event, Karpelès shared that their upcoming exchange aims to utilize advanced tools not accessible during the 2011 and 2014 Mt. Gox hacks. He emphasized that transparency would be a key aspect at EllipX

Despite facing death threats, Karpelès was also vocal about the community’s support and encouragement from Bitcoin advocates, who were eager to see him re-emerge in the world of web3

Karpelès returns as Mt. Gox finalizes repayments

During a time when Mt. Gox was wrapping up repayments to its creditors, Karpelès introduced EllipX. This bankrupt Bitcoin exchange owed approximately $9 billion in cryptocurrency to affected users. So far, Mt. Gox has distributed more than $6 billion, and it still holds around $3 billion worth of digital assets, which are probably intended for further reimbursements

The famous Bitcoin exchange was founded during the days of Bitcoin’s infancy. Shortly after meeting the company’s founder, Jed McCaleb, Karpelès bought the firm and took over leadership of its three-dozen customer base.

Within just under three years, the user base expanded from 60,000 to an impressive 1 million. However, what initially appeared to be a thriving startup unfortunately faced bankruptcy due to a string of cyber attacks that severely impacted its operations

Malicious individuals illegally withdrew more than 950,000 Bitcoins from the cryptocurrency platform, initiating a lengthy process towards resolution spanning over a decade. Now, ten years later, the crypto exchange is compensating its users for their losses and Mt. Gox’s founder, Karpelès, is once again involved with Bitcoin

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2024-09-04 18:13