Unit 4 · Level 1 · First investigations
Verifying claims on-chain
After FTX collapsed in November 2022 with a hole of roughly $8B, exchanges rushed to publish 'proof of reserves': here are our wallets, count the coins yourself. That is useful, but incomplete. A wallet snapshot proves assets existed at one moment. It says nothing about debts, or whether the coins were borrowed for the photo.
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What you get asked
What does a proof-of-reserves snapshot actually prove?
That's real information; FTX couldn't have produced it honestly. But read the claim precisely: assets, at addresses, at a timestamp. Nothing more.
What is the biggest thing a proof-of-reserves snapshot HIDES?
Solvency = assets minus liabilities, and liabilities live in a private database. €1B in wallets means little if customers are owed €2B.
An exchange proves €900M of assets on-chain but owes customers €1,200M. What percentage of customer money is actually backed?
900 ÷ 1,200 = 75%. A proud-looking reserve snapshot can still describe an insolvent exchange; the liabilities side decides.
Assets flashed for a snapshot can be ___ the very next day. One photo is not solvency.
Coins can be borrowed for the photo and returned after. Ongoing, repeated verification beats a single glamour shot.
What's the honest verdict on proof of reserves?
The chain shows what it shows, no more. Applaud the transparency, then ask the question it can't answer: and what do you owe? 🐜
The rest of this unit
Trace a trade, autopsy a rug pull, stress-test a claim. Detective work begins.