The beleaguered Russian cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e has kept its promise to relaunch the website…sort of. The domain https://btc-e.nz was active today, though not accessible to users in some parts of the world, notably the US, due to regulations.
The site had promised to reimburse clients via tradable tokens (BTCT) for any losses they had incurred due to the seizure of the domain by the FBI. The domain was seized after the arrest of Alexander Vinnik in Greece in July on charges of money laundering, specifically, the laundering of the stolen Mt. Gox Bitcoins.
The reboot of the site comes with very little functionality. Users are apparently able to check and send messages and check their account balances. Features and services should gradually come back online, however, according to the roadmap laid out by the site’s plan on bitcointalk.org. Per the site:
"In parallel with the legal issue of restructuring, users will be given the opportunity to check the integrity of the digital balance in the user's account, and users will be able to make changes in the security of the account. For chat and support, chat will be available. For these purposes, the service will be launched on the old domain (btc-e.nz). You will be able to log in and check your balance before recounting.”
The administrators of the site claim to be transferring user data to a yet-unnamed new business entity which will open on or around September 15th. The new entity is to be fully compliant under the current European regulations for investment firms.
Whether the relaunch continues and users have additional access to funds remains to be seen. The site’s representatives have assured clients that the site would eventually be functional and that losses would be reimbursed.