Rise and fall - a bitcoin story

The virtual currency Bitcoin suffered another blow after the biggest trading platform  - Mt. Gox, virtually disappeared . The site of the platform was removed , and management can not be found in its offices in Tokyo, world media reported . Platform stability was questioned earlier this month when Mt. Gox stopped indefinitely the possibility of withdrawal from the portfolios of customers because of " unusual activity " and problems with payments to third parties.

Since yesterday online circulates a document, which is believed to represent a crisis plan for the platform. According to it, Mt. Gox has lost 744 thousand bitcoins for continuous schedule for theft. This amount represents about 6% of all bitcoins in circulation , and their value is about 365 million dollars on Monday's prices. According to the document Mt. Gox has liabilities of 174 million dollars and assets of only 32.75 million

Representatives of Mt. Gox do not answer their mobile phones and inquiries by email. CEO Mark Karpeles on the exchange can not be found in his apartment in Tokyo. On Monday, it became known that he had left the board of Bitcoin Foundation, organized trade in virtual currency. Website of Mt. Gox is not charging, but not out error message.

The offices of the company held a protest of a small group of investors who want to get information about their assets . However, they blame the situation Mt. Gox, and not the currency itself . Other major exchangers that allow its exchange against U.S. dollars and other currencies , also distanced themselves from the Tokyo platform.

Six largest markets - Coinbase, Kraken, Bitstamp, BTC China, Blockchain and Circle, issued a joint statement , stating that " this tragic abuse of consumer trust of Mt. Gox is the result of the actions of the company itself and not reflects the stability or the value of Bitcoin and digital currency business . " The statement also points out that as in any new industry , there are bad players.

Bitcoin encountered a number of difficulties, ranging from hacking to regulatory prohibitions. High volatility in prices in recent months it suitable for more speculative investments than a store of value . Its value varies considerably besides the different platforms. Before starting the technical problems of Mt. Gox on February 7 , a bitcoin seemed to be 828.99 dollars. Then collapsed by nearly 84% off the price to 135 dollars. At the same time another large market - Bitstamp, decline during this period was 40.5% to $ 400.

"I think the community will remain very tolerant to such problems of growth. Entire structure is still in the early stages of development , so you can expect similar situations with growth . Important thing is for people to be kept informed ," said an investor.