Another Exchange Says Goodbye To The Cryptocurrency Operations

Many best cryptocurrency news sites recently reported that the competitive arena has taken a toll on Asian cryptocurrency exchanges, with two of them deciding to leave the market this month. Now, it appears that we have another exchange saying goodbye to the cryptocurrency operations and closing down its venture.

The smaller local player and Osaka-based operator of the Zaif exchange has stopped its cryptocurrency operations. As you probably know, Zaif was one of the first exchanges in Japan and was one of the first to gain an operating license from the regulatory Financial Services Agency (FSA). Zaif launched in March 2015, two and a half years before the FSA launched its licensing program.

As the altcoin news last year showed, it was a crippling hack which brought financial chaos for the Zaif exchange. This is how the exchange got bailed out by Tech Bureau’s rival FISCO. Since then, FISCO has had plans to take on Zaif’s customers, transferring the accounts onto its own crypto exchange platform. Now, it seems like Zaif is another exchange shutting down after being unable to compensate all of the customers that had been affected by the hack.

As the source Tech Bureau confirmed, Zaif will be closing down with any remaining crypto business being transferred to FISCO:

“The Company has been considering for various possibility of the customers who has not accepted the contract succession, however, we announce here that the Company has came up to the conclusion to discontinue our cryptocurrency exchange business once we complete the refunds for all customers who possess remaining balance which refunds can be made,” Tech Bureau said, without providing more information about the date when it will be closing.

The latest cryptocurrency news show that the FSA recently confirmed that Zaif is another exchange which is forced to close because of hacks. Nikkei says that Tech Bureau will now focus on “blockchain development.”

Meanwhile, another exchange in South Korea – and a member of the “big four” there – named Coinone is shutting down its Malta-based Coinone Global Exchange (CGEX) on September 18. This comes in less than a year after it opened, and the operator said that it had “decided” that it “could no longer maintain service.”