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Context · database · 9 records

Sovereignty incidents

Dated events in which money was frozen, devalued, restricted, abolished or lost, each with its primary sources.

Photo: jacob wall (Unsplash License)

Every entry names the forms of money that were affected and those that were not. The entries describe what happened; they rate nothing.

Records per decade

Records per decade

Records per decadeHow many records of the current release start in each decade.0123452000s2010s2020s153
Records per decadeHow many records of the current release start in each decade.0123452000s2010s2020s153

Point at the chart, or focus it and use the arrow keys, to read the values.

Records per decade: one series over 3 categories. Records: lowest 1 (2000s), highest 5 (2010s).

Source: WhatTheChain incidents database (licence: CC BY 4.0)

As of: 22 October 2026

Measured in: number of records · Transformation: records counted by the decade of their start date

Data table
Records per decade (number of records)
CategoryRecords
2000s1
2010s5
2020s3

Incidents

Form of money affected
Kind
Jurisdiction

Filters

9 incidents, newest first

  1. FTX: exchange insolvency and chapter 11 proceedings

    Since (ongoing or open-ended)Jurisdictions: Bahamas, United States

    In early November 2022 customers of the FTX exchange withdrew their assets in large numbers. On 11 November 2022 FTX Trading Ltd. and affiliated companies filed for relief under chapter 11 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (case 22-11068), and customers filed claims for the value of the digital assets held by the debtors. On 12 November 2022 the Securities Commission of The Bahamas, under an order of the Supreme Court of The Bahamas, directed the transfer of all digital assets of FTX Digital Markets Ltd. to a wallet it controls. In December 2022 the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission alleged in a complaint that the conduct of the defendants caused the loss of over USD 8 billion in FTX customer deposits.

    Kinds: Loss

    Affected:
    Balances held at a custodial exchange
    Not affected:
    Bitcoin on-chain

  2. USDC addresses blocked after the Tornado Cash sanctions

    Since (ongoing or open-ended)Jurisdictions: No single jurisdiction

    On 8 August 2022 the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated the virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash. The same day, Centre, the consortium behind the USDC stablecoin, blocked the related addresses, and Circle blocked them on its platform. The issuer's statement concerns USDC and names no frozen amount. Tornado Cash was removed from the sanctions list on 21 March 2025.

    Kinds: Freeze

    Affected:
    Stablecoins
    Not affected:
    None listed.

  3. Canada: account freezes under the Emergencies Act

    to Jurisdictions: Canada

    A public order emergency was declared throughout Canada on 14 February 2022. The Emergency Economic Measures Order, registered on 15 February 2022, required banks, credit unions, insurers, trust and loan companies, securities dealers, crowdfunding platforms and payment service providers to cease dealing in property of persons designated under it, including making funds or virtual currency available to them. Financial institutions froze at least 257 accounts, including bank and corporate accounts and credit cards, and 170 bitcoin wallet addresses were disclosed. The declaration was revoked on 23 February 2022.

    Kinds: Freeze

    Affected:
    Bank deposits
    Not affected:
    Cash

  4. Lebanon: bank closures and informal capital controls

    Since (ongoing or open-ended)Jurisdictions: Lebanon

    Banks in Lebanon were closed from 18 to 31 October 2019 for retail and other transactions and reopened with informal capital controls; they closed again for 10 days from 9 November 2019. Banks set withdrawal ceilings of around USD 1,000 and LBP 2 million per week per account, with anecdotal evidence of lower ceilings on US dollars at many banks, and transfers of money out of the country were severely limited. The World Bank describes the controls as informal.

    Kinds: Restriction

    Affected:
    Bank deposits
    Not affected:
    Cash

  5. India: ₹ 500 and ₹ 1000 banknotes withdrawn as legal tender

    to Jurisdictions: India

    A Government of India notification of 8 November 2016 withdrew the legal tender character of the existing ₹ 500 and ₹ 1000 banknotes with effect from midnight. Holders could have their value credited to bank accounts, or exchange them over the counter up to ₹ 4,000 per person, until 30 December 2016. Until 24 November 2016, cash withdrawals from bank accounts were limited to ₹ 10,000 per day and ₹ 20,000 per week; ATM withdrawals were limited to ₹ 2,000 per card per day until 18 November and ₹ 4,000 afterwards. The notification concerned the ₹ 500 and ₹ 1000 notes only; banknotes of other denominations remained legal tender.

    Kinds: AbolitionRestriction

    Affected:
    Cash, Bank deposits
    Not affected:
    None listed.

  6. Greece: bank holiday and capital controls

    to Jurisdictions: Greece

    After the ECB kept emergency liquidity assistance to Greek banks at its level of 26 June 2015, Greek banks were closed for three weeks, from 29 June to 20 July 2015. Cash withdrawals were limited to EUR 60 per bank card per day, and transfers to foreign banks needed prior approval from a government body. Domestic payments by debit and credit card had no limit, and withdrawals with cards issued outside Greece were not limited. From 20 July 2015, withdrawals of up to EUR 420 per week were allowed. The controls were relaxed over time and lifted completely as of 1 September 2019.

    Kinds: Restriction

    Affected:
    Bank deposits
    Not affected:
    Cash

  7. Mt. Gox: exchange closure and disappearance of bitcoin

    Since (ongoing or open-ended)Jurisdictions: Japan

    MtGox Co., Ltd., a bitcoin exchange in Tokyo, closed its site at noon on 25 February 2014 and applied for civil rehabilitation at the Tokyo District Court on 28 February 2014. It reported that approximately 750,000 bitcoins deposited by users and approximately 100,000 of its own had disappeared, and a cash discrepancy of approximately JPY 2.8 billion. On 7 March 2014 it found approximately 200,000 BTC in an old-format wallet, which reduced the estimate of disappeared bitcoin to approximately 650,000. The rehabilitation trustee began repayments in bitcoin and bitcoin cash from July 2024.

    Kinds: FreezeLoss

    Affected:
    Balances held at a custodial exchange
    Not affected:
    Bitcoin on-chain

  8. Cyprus: bail-in of uninsured deposits at two banks, and restrictions on transactions

    to Jurisdictions: Cyprus

    On 25 March 2013 the Eurogroup reached an agreement with the Cypriot authorities on an EU/IMF programme. Bank of Cyprus was recapitalised through a full bail-in of its shareholders and bondholders and the conversion of 47.5% of uninsured deposits (the part above EUR 100,000) into equity. Cyprus Popular Bank (Laiki) was resolved: its insured deposits moved to Bank of Cyprus, and its uninsured deposits stayed in a legacy unit, to be compensated from the liquidation of its assets. Deposits under EUR 100,000 were fully protected, and deposits of the central government and local authorities were exempt. Restrictive measures applied to cashing cheques, transfers abroad, domestic transfers above a set amount, cash withdrawals and exports, and opening accounts; payment card transactions and incoming payments from abroad were not restricted. The restrictive measures were abolished on 5 April 2015.

    Kinds: LossRestriction

    Affected:
    Bank deposits
    Not affected:
    None listed.

  9. Argentina: weekly cash withdrawal limit, then conversion of dollar deposits into pesos

    Since (ongoing or open-ended)Jurisdictions: Argentina

    Decree 1570/2001 of 1 December 2001 prohibited cash withdrawals above ARS 250 or USD 250 per week per account holder at each financial institution, and prohibited transfers abroad except for foreign trade, card spending abroad and certain debt payments authorised by the central bank. Taking more than USD 1,000 in foreign currency out of the country was allowed only through financial institutions. Deposits stayed in the accounts: transfers between accounts and institutions and payments by debit and credit card remained possible. Decree 214/2002 of 3 February 2002 converted foreign-currency deposits into pesos at ARS 1.40 per US dollar and foreign-currency debts to the financial system at ARS 1 per US dollar.

    Kinds: Restriction

    Affected:
    Bank deposits
    Not affected:
    Cash

How this database works

  • Every entry cites primary or authoritative sources: central banks, governments, courts, regulators, insolvency administrators or the issuer’s own published record.
  • Every entry lists the forms of money that were affected and those that were not, using the forms of the “Money in everyday life” matrix.
  • Entries are published only through a signed release of the public reference repository, where every change is reviewed in the open.