Chilean crypto exchange Orionx shuts down after audit reveals $7M in missing customer assets

Sep 6, 2026

Chilean cryptocurrency exchange Orionx has shut down and suspended withdrawals for its 100,000 users after a forensic audit revealed over $7 million in missing customer assets. The audit shows funds were siphoned to external wallets for speculative trading between 2018 and 2021. Orionx has filed criminal complaints against founders Roberto Zibert and Joaquín Díaz, who deny the allegations. Regulators rejected Orionx's license in June 2026 and state they cannot force customer restitution.

Orionx shutdown withdrawal suspension

▪Chilean cryptocurrency exchange Orionx suspended customer withdrawals and announced a permanent wind-down of its operations on September 3, 2026.
▪Orionx, which launched in 2017, had accumulated a registered user base of over 100,000 customers prior to its closure.
▪Tether made a strategic investment in Orionx in June 2025 as part of the exchange's Series A funding round to expand stablecoin services in Latin America.

Forensic audit missing funds

▪The forensic audit of Orionx identified accounting discrepancies of approximately $3.93 million in Bitcoin, $2.29 million in Ether, $762,017 in XRP, and $201 in Polygon.
▪The forensic audit of Orionx revealed that the unauthorized asset transfers occurred over a multi-year period between 2018 and 2021.
▪A forensic audit of Orionx uncovered that more than $7 million in custodied customer assets had been transferred to wallets outside the exchange's control.
▪The forensic audit of Orionx indicated that the transferred customer funds were used for speculative trading on other platforms, resulting in realized gains and losses.

Criminal complaints against founders

▪Orionx filed a criminal complaint on September 2, 2026, accusing former general manager Roberto Zibert and former technology manager Joaquín Díaz of disloyal administration.
▪Former Orionx executives Roberto Zibert and Joaquín Díaz denied the misappropriation allegations, stating they never acted against the interests of customers.
▪The criminal complaint filed by Orionx alleges that 79 Bitcoin moved via a Celsius account maintained by Roberto Zibert to an unidentified account.

CMF regulatory rejection

▪Chile's Commission for the Financial Market rejected Orionx's application for regulatory authorization under the country's Fintech Law in June 2026.
▪Chile's Commission for the Financial Market stated that Orionx had been operating without the proper licenses required under the Fintech Law.
▪Chile's Commission for the Financial Market stated it does not supervise Orionx's closure or have the legal authority to order the return of customer funds.

Customer restitution process

▪Orionx announced a five-stage restitution process on its status page, but the exchange did not guarantee that customers would recover 100% of their assets.
▪Chile's Commission for the Financial Market advised Orionx customers to submit claims directly to the exchange, retain transaction records, and pursue legal action in court.

Debatable claims

▪Tether bears responsibility for failing to detect Orionx's financial discrepancies before investing
▪Chile's Financial Market Commission should oversee the Orionx restitution