Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd., the crypto
financial services firm founded by
billionaire Michael Novogratz, is exploring
eliminating as much as 20% of its workforce
against the backdrop of a digital-assets
market downturn. The plan under
consideration could still be changed and the
final number could be in a range of 15% to
20%, according to people familiar with the
matter. New York-based Galaxy reported 375
employees globally as of the end of the
second quarter, which would mean as many as
75 positions could be eliminated. “We are
always considering optimal team structure
and strategy and will share future plans
when finalized,” said Galaxy’s spokesperson
Michael Wursthorn. “While our industry
continues to face macroeconomic headwinds,
Galaxy remains focused on building for the
future state of institutional adoption, and
on enhancing long-term shareholder value.”
Galaxy’s shares have tumbled 70% this year,
inline with many of the most popular
cryptocurrencies. Its second-quarter loss
more than doubled from a year ago, primarily
due to unrealized losses on digital assets
and on investments in its trading and
principal investments businesses. Novogratz
was a backer of Do Kwon’s Terraform Labs,
the company behind the failed Terra and Luna
tokens. In July, Novogratz acknowledged that
he was “darn wrong” about the magnitude of
the leverage in the system. The crypto
industry has seen widespread layoffs this
year following the collapse of coin prices
and the bankruptcy of hedge fund Three
Arrows Capital. Crypto exchange Coinbase
Global Inc., brokerage Genesis, and lender
BlockFi have all announced job reductions.
During the second-quarter earnings call in
August, Novogratz said Galaxy has taken some
“selective shrinking” of its teams but
expects the firm to expand to over 400
people this year. In a October interview
with Bloomberg TV, Novogratz said he expects
“a rough few months of markets that are
pricing in tremendous amount of bearishness”
due to inflation and geopolitical risks.
Galaxy is due to report third-quarter
earnings result on Nov. 9.