BTC-e

{{Short description|Cryptocurrency trading platform}}

{{Infobox company

| name = BTC-e

| logo = BTC-e Seizure Banner.png

| logo_caption = BTC-e Domain Seized by U.S. Law Enforcement

| image =

| image_caption =

| trading_name =

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| romanized_name =

| former type =

| type =

| traded_as =

| industry = Cryptocurrency exchange

| fate =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| foundation = 2011

| founder =

| location_city =

| location_country = Russia

| locations =

| area_served =

| key_people =

| products =

| production =

| services =

| revenue =

| operating_income =

| net_income =

| aum =

| assets =

| equity =

| owner =

| num_employees =

| parent =

| divisions =

| subsid =

| homepage = {{URL|https://btc-e.com/}}

| footnotes =

| intl =

| bodystyle =

}}

BTC-e was a cryptocurrency exchange primarily serving the Russian market, with servers located in the United States. The U.S. government seized their website and funds in 2017.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ceiVAgAAQBAJ&q=BTC-e&pg=PA175|title=The Bitcoin Bible Gold Edition|author=Benjamin Guttmann|publisher=Books on Demand|date=2014|isbn=9783732296965|pages=175–176}} It was founded in July 2011 by Alexander Vinnik and Aleksandr Bilyuchenko,{{cite news | last=Eckel | first=Mike | title=How Much Did Russian Spy Agencies Rely On Bitcoin? New Hints In Leaked Recordings | date=November 28, 2019 | publisher=RFERL | quote=Since its inception in 2011, founded and operated by Vinnik and a partner named Aleksandr Bilyuchenko, BTC-e's business model was heavily reliant on the criminal underworld and people and entities interested in anonymity or hard-to-trace transactions, according to U.S. and other officials. | url=https://www.rferl.org/a/how-much-did-russian-spy-agencies-rely-on-bitcoin-new-hints-in-leaked-recordings-/30297083.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20191130120129/https://www.rferl.org/a/how-much-did-russian-spy-agencies-rely-on-bitcoin-new-hints-in-leaked-recordings-/30297083.html | archive-date=November 30, 2019 | url-status=live | access-date=June 27, 2020 }} and as of February 2015 handled around 3% of all Bitcoin exchange volume.{{cite web|url=http://bitcoinity.org/markets/list |title=Bitcoin Exchanges Market Share |publisher=Bitcoinity |access-date=2015-02-10}} The platform was eventually taken over by Russian Orthodox oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, and funds from BTC-e were used for the war in Donbas, under the control of the FSB.{{Cite web |title=Russian Agents Suspected of Cleaning Bitcoin-Exchange Platform |url=https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/11135-russian-agents-suspected-of-cleaning-bitcoin-exchange-platform |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=www.occrp.org |language=en-GB}}

It was a component of the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index since the index's September 2013 formation.{{cite news|last1=Del Rey|first1=Jason|title=What's a Bitcoin Really Worth? CoinDesk Thinks It Has the Answer.|url=http://allthingsd.com/20130911/whats-a-bitcoin-really-worth-coindesk-thinks-it-has-the-answer/|publisher=All Things D|date=September 11, 2013|access-date=22 Oct 2018}}

BTC-e was operated by Always Efficient LLP, which was registered in London and was listed as having two officers (Sandra Gina Esparon and Evaline Sophie Joubert) and two people with significant control: Alexander Buyanov and Andrii Shvets.{{Cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/OC394172 |title=Always Efficient Llp - Overview|website=Companies House|access-date=22 Oct 2018}}

The US Justice Department attempted to close down BTC-e on 26 July 2017, when they charged Vinnik and BTC-e in a 21-count indictment for operating an alleged international money laundering scheme and allegedly laundering funds from the hack of Mt. Gox.{{Cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/russian-national-and-bitcoin-exchange-charged-21-count-indictment-operating-alleged |title=Russian National And Bitcoin Exchange Charged In 21-Count Indictment For Operating Alleged International Money Laundering Scheme And Allegedly Laundering Funds From Hack Of Mt. Gox|website=United States Department of Justice|date=26 Jul 2017|access-date=22 Oct 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/press-release/file/984661/download|title=Vinnik Superseding Indictment Redacted for U.S. District Court Northern District of California San Francisco Division Case No CR 16-00227 SI|website=United States Department of Justice|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727022934/https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/press-release/file/984661/download|archive-date=27 July 2017}} [https://www.scribd.com/document/354823899/Vinnik-Superseding-Indictment-Redacted-0 Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727060556/https://www.scribd.com/document/354823899/Vinnik-Superseding-Indictment-Redacted-0 |date=2020-07-27 }}