From Boom to Bust: Bitstamp Dives from €37M Profit to €9M Loss in One Year

Another popular crypto exchange has joined the ranks of the digital asset companies that were significantly impacted by the industry downturn in 2022. Bitstamp's financial report was released this week summarizing the past year in reflection of the previous year. Its revenue dropped to almost a fifth of its previous figures seen in 2021; its turnover more than halved in value, ending with a net loss of over €7 million.

Bitstamp: €37 Million Profit to a Loss of €7Million

Bitstamp Limited, registered in the UK, published its full accounts and summarized the results for 2022. It exhibited a substantial decline compared to the record-breaking year of 2021, reflecting how the digital asset market's condition changed over these two years.

In 2021, when a single Bitcoin (BTC) was valued at nearly $70,000, Bitstamp's revenue reached €109 million, with a profit of €37 million. However, in 2022, when BTC's price dropped to as low as $15,000, its revenues shrank to €29 million. Simultaneously, the net profit shifted to a loss of €7 million.

Other significant financial indicators of the cryptocurrency exchange also depreciated. The total volume plummetted from €117 million to just under €55 million. At the same time, the company incurred higher administrative costs than in 2021, amounting to €57 million.

As the company admits, such significant declines in performance were caused by "unfavorable market conditions and the reduction in trading volumes." The latter was due to transferring part of the business to three subsidiary companies: Bitstamp USA, Bitstamp Global, and Bitstamp Europe. The report also mentioned the negative impact of the war in Ukraine on conducting business in Europe.

"The company's total assets decreased to EUR 358,901,713 compared to EUR 1,344,442,798 in 2021. This is mainly driven by the lower trading volumes during the year and a consequence of the transfer of business mentioned above," the company commented in the financial report.

As it turns out, the negative effects of the crypto winter have not ceased in 2022. The latest reports from publicly listed cryptocurrency companies Galaxy Digital and Riot Blockchain for Q2 2023 show a continuation of the negative trend. Both companies reported a net loss explained by challenging market conditions.

Bitstamp Hunts for Funds and Halts Part of US Trading

The 2022 financial report was published at a time when there is much discussion about Bitstamp, the crypto exchange. On Tuesday, it announced its plans to seek new investors, launch derivatives trading in Europe, and expand its operations in the UK and Asian markets.

Bitstamp's CEO, Jean-Baptiste Graftieaux, revealed that the company is seeking new funding and a strategic sponsor to achieve these plans and rebuild its position as one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

According to data from Kaiko, Bitstamp's US branch, which holds a BitLicense issued by New York State, has gained some of the local market share in 2023. Meanwhile, other popular platforms, such as Binance US, have become less significant, partly due to regulatory issues and lawsuits.

However, it turns out that regulatory problems have ultimately affected Bitstamp. Yesterday (Wednesday), the exchange announced the suspension of trading for several cryptocurrencies in the US due to legislative issues. The suspension will take effect from August 29, affecting Axie Infinity (AXS), Decentraland (MANA), Chiliz (CHZ), Sandbox (SAND), and Solana (SOL).