Speaking of Karpeles, it occurred to me that MtGOX not only was the largest exchange outside China, but may also have been the largest bitcoin-related enterprise ever (with more than 500 M$ in nominal assets, not considering the theft). Is that correct?
Probably.
Interesting comparison (numbers are approximate):
MTGox at bankruptcy
Liabilities=~$500 M
Assets =~$150 M (after 200 kBTC were found)
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Shortfall = $350 M
Bitcoin money supply: 12,000,000 x $560 = $6,700 M
Shortfall / Money Supply = 350 / 6700 = 5.2%
Lehman Brother's at bankruptcy
Liabilities = $768 B
Assets = $639 B
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Shortfall = $129 B
USD M2 money supply: $11,000 B
Shortfall / Money Supply = 129 / 11000 = 1.2%
I wonder if the USD financial system would be more or less robust to a failure of equivalent size to MTGox.