The answer, in plain English — for anyone staking on an exchange.
Staked coins on an exchange are usually treated as the exchange's property. You cannot unstake, sell, or move them.
In January 2023 a US court ruled Celsius Earn crypto belonged to Celsius — about 600,000 accounts, roughly $4.2 billion.
An unstaking request is still a withdrawal. While the platform is frozen, there is no queue to join.
Balances become claims fixed at filing-date prices. A later rally does not raise your claim.
Celsius first paid about 57-58% of dollar claims. Voyager about 35.7% at first. FTX about 118% of petition-date dollars — not coins.
Stake from your own wallet and an exchange bankruptcy cannot touch the on-chain stake. Slashing and key risks remain.
The step-by-step freeze, the comparison table, and the terms checklist — all in the free guide.
Read the Full Guide →