NEW YORK – Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi is preparing to file for bankruptcy within days, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be named because discussions are private.

The lender paused client withdrawals, citing uncertainties with crypto exchange FTX, while saying it had adequate liquidity and was exploring options with outside advisers.

A representative for BlockFi declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that the company was weighing a bankruptcy filing.

FTX US and BlockFi are closely tied. In July, FTX US provided the lender with a US$400 million (S$548 million) revolving credit line, which came with an option to purchase the company. BlockFi has also given loans to now-bankrupt Alameda Research, Bloomberg reported.

The sudden unravelling and subsequent bankruptcy of FTX – once seen as a saviour to struggling crypto firms – is reverberating across the digital asset landscape. Bankrupt Voyager Digital, which FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was going to rescue in a US$1.4 billion deal, is now scrambling to find a replacement buyer for its assets.

Separately, Crypto brokerage Genesis is exploring options after suspending redemptions and new loan originations amid a liquidity shortfall. BLOOMBERG