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Refusal file · other

Why Ketju rejected Function FBTC

Memo v1Published by Ketju Research

A registry memo, published verbatim and versioned. Superseded versions are recorded, never edited away. A rejection is a judgment for Ketju's client base and thesis, not a universal safety claim. Not investment, legal, tax, or compliance advice.

The memo

REJECTED. FBTC (Function Network's Bitcoin-backed omnichain asset, unrelated to Fidelity's spot Bitcoin ETF that trades under the same ticker) follows the same custodial structure as WBTC and BTCB, both already rejected in this registry: BTC held by named custodians, minted 1:1 by KYB-gated Merchants, with retail exit only through secondary markets. A three-member Security Council of Mantle, Antalpha Prime, and Cobo oversees custody through threshold-signature and MPC techniques, which is a more explicit role separation than WBTC discloses, but this review could not confirm the exact approval threshold among the three parties, and no independent, third-party proof-of-reserves attestation was found. Absence of a named scandal does not offset an unconfirmed custody threshold and no independent reserve verification — this is a standing disclosure gap, not a temporary evidence gap.

What would reopen the file

  • An independent, third-party proof-of-reserves attestation for FBTC is published on a recurring basis
  • The exact Security Council or TSS approval threshold is publicly confirmed and shown to require genuine multi-party consensus with no single-party override path
  • A permissionless or clearly disclosed, non-discriminatory redemption path is demonstrated for non-institutional holders
  • Twelve consecutive months with no custody, freeze, or minting-irregularity incident following threshold confirmation

Facts on file

Verdict
Rejected
Exposure
other
Chains examined
Ethereum
Instruments
FBTC
Memo version
v1
Reviewed
Next review

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