Polish crypto exchange Zondacrypto faces crisis as its founder and successor CEO have gone missing one after another.

According to a New York Times report, European crypto exchange Zondacrypto is in crisis. After its founder Sylwester Suszek went missing in 2022, Przemyslaw Kral, who took over as the exchange’s CEO, also lost contact this April. This incident has once again drawn external attention to fund security and regulatory issues in the crypto industry. Zondacrypto, formerly known as BitBay, was founded in Poland in 2014 and was once one of the largest crypto exchanges in Central and Eastern Europe. Suszek was dubbed the "Crypto King" by Polish media, but he disappeared near a fuel depot in southern Poland in March 2022. His family later received messages allegedly from kidnappers demanding a ransom in Bitcoin. Polish prosecutors have previously launched an investigation into suspected unlawful deprivation of liberty involving relevant individuals. After Suszek’s disappearance, Kral, a lawyer and his assistant, took over the company’s operations. This April, Zondacrypto’s website shut down, leaving users unable to withdraw funds or conduct trades. Kral had previously claimed the platform held Bitcoin reserves worth over $330 million, but accessing the assets required digital keys held by Suszek. This claim has been met with skepticism, as the associated wallet has shown no activity for a long time. Zondacrypto had previously claimed to have around 1.3 million users, and expanded its influence through sponsorships of football clubs, the Polish Olympic Committee, and other entities. However, as user withdrawal issues persisted, Estonia’s financial intelligence agency revoked its parent company’s operating license on June 29. Currently, Polish prosecutors are investigating the establishment and operations of Zondacrypto, and Kral has not made any public appearances for several consecutive months.