Insurers avoid FTX-linked cryptocurrency companies as the potential of contagion grows

According to multiple market players, insurers are refusing or restricting cover to clients who have access to the insolvent crypto exchange FTX, rendering traders and exchanges of digital currencies unprotected for any damages from hacks, theft, or legal actions.

Due to the lack of business regulation and the unstable pricing of Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, insurers were previously hesitant to underwrite asset and directors and officers (D&O) protection insurance for cryptocurrency enterprises.

Now, worries have increased as a result of FTX's collapse last month.

Specialists in the Bermuda and Lloyd's of London insurance markets are demanding more openness from cryptocurrency firms on their vulnerability to FTX. Additionally, the insurers are recommending extensive policy limitations for any allegations made about the company's demise.

According to Kyle Nichols, president of broker Hugh Wood Canada Ltd., insurers are requesting clients to answer questions about whether they have assets listed on the exchange or interested in FTX.

According to Ben Davis, head for digital content at Lloyd's of London broker Superscript, clients who transacted with FTX are required to complete a survey outlining the amount of their exposure.

“Let's say the client has 40% of their total assets at FTX that they can't access, that is either going to be a decline or we're going to put on an exclusion that limits cover for any claims arising out of their funds held on FTX,” he stated.

According to five insurance sources, the insurance plans that protect the security of crypto assets and the personal liability of directors and officials of organizations that deal in cryptocurrencies have exclusions that refuse payment for any claims resulting from the FTX bankruptcy. According to a broker, a few insurers have been pushing for plans to include a broad exemption for everything connected to FTX.

Exclusions may serve as a failsafe for insurers and will make obtaining protection even more challenging for businesses, according to insurers and brokers.

Even more stringent guidelines are used by Bermuda-based cryptocurrency insurance Relm, which has previously given coverage to organizations connected to FTX.

“If we have to include a crypto exclusion or a regulatory exclusion, we're just not going to offer the coverage,” Relm co-founder Joel Ziolkowski mentioned.

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