Silvergate Issues Continue: Bank Closes Its Crypto Payments Network

Silvergate Capital Corporation was once among the most preferred banking institutions for cryptocurrency business, but the entity has faced numerous issues in the past few weeks.

The latest saw the bank closing its crypto payment service called the Silvergate Exchange Network.

“Effective immediately Silvergate Bank has made a risk-based decision to discontinue the Silvergate Exchange Network (SEN). All other deposit-related services remain operational,” reads the firm’s statement.

• The service allowed investors to complete 24/7 transfers to crypto exchanges, which was one of the most utilized products of the bank. It operated a lot faster than traditional banking wire transfers that could take days.
• However, the bank raised eyebrows earlier this week when it revealed operational issues and said it had to delay its annual report.
• Aside from its shares plunging by over 30% in hours, the announcement also prompted several crypto giants, such as Kraken and Coinbase, to dump Silvergate and its services.
• Being one of the largest players from the traditional finance industry, the news also affected the entire crypto market. Bitcoin slumped to a multi-week low at under $22,000 in a matter of hours, while the entire market cap dropped by $50 billion in a day.