Crypto exchange Bittrex files for bankruptcy Crypto exchange Bittrex was accused by the US Securities and Exchange Commision (SEC) that it was operating an unregistered securities exchange. Just recently, the exchange has formally filed for bankruptcy protection. Seattle-based Bittrex stopped operating in the United States on April 30 and stated that Bittrex Global, which services clients outside of the United States, is not affected by the bankruptcy case. This is because the business operations for non-U.S. clients are all based in Liechtenstein.