Tether-backed Orionx to shut down after audit flags $7M custody gap
Chilean crypto exchange Orionx is shutting down after a forensic audit found more than $7 million in custodial assets had been moved to wallets it did not control. The company said withdrawals are temporarily suspended while it tries to return as much customer funds as possible. The discrepancy was discovered during a 2025 compliance review and later confirmed through an external audit comparing Orionx’s records with onchain data. The shortfall affected BTC, ETH, XRP, and POL balances, and the company alleges some assets were transferred out between 2018 and 2021, including to other crypto platforms. Orionx filed a criminal complaint against co-founders Roberto Zibert and Joaquín Díaz, who deny wrongdoing. Tether had led Orionx’s Series A in June 2025.
