Poland's Prime Minister Accuses Zondacrypto of Influencing Legislation

Zondacrypto, a Polish cryptocurrency exchange, is facing mounting problems. Following reports of frozen or delayed customer withdrawals, the company has drawn criticism from Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who accused it of sponsoring politicians who opposed cryptocurrency market regulation. Tusk claimed that these politicians were acting in the exchange's interests by blocking the legislation. The exchange has ties to Russia and had previously provided financial support to lawmakers. In response to allegations that the company was using investors' funds to bolster its declining reserves, Zondacrypto's CEO, Przemysław Kral, revealed that the exchange owns a bitcoin wallet holding approximately 4,500 BTC, valued at around $330 million. However, the company cannot access the funds as the previous owner, former CEO Sylwester Suszek, did not hand over the private key and has been missing since 2021. Kral denied any misuse of client funds and stated that the exchange remains profitable. The situation has sparked a surge in withdrawal requests, with Kral attributing the situation to a broader campaign against the company, including political pressure, regulatory interference, and coordinated media coverage. An analysis by blockchain intelligence firm Recoveris found that bitcoin balances in hot wallets tied to Zonda have dropped by about 99% since mid-2024. The controversy surrounding Zondacrypto has been ongoing, with the company facing investigations and warnings from regulatory authorities in the past. In 2019, Poland's Financial Supervision Authority placed BitBay, the company's former name, on its public warning list for unauthorized financial activities. In 2024, an investigation by Polish broadcaster TVN identified a shareholder with a criminal record, and in 2025, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection started an investigation into BB Trade Estonia, Zonda's owner, for violating consumer interests.