Chilean cryptocurrency exchange Orionx permanently closed on Sept. 3, 2026, after a forensic audit found a custody shortfall exceeding $7 million across Bitcoin, Ether, XRP and Polygon's POL token. The exchange suspended withdrawals, leaving more than 100,000 registered users unable to access funds, and began a phased restitution process without guaranteeing full recovery. The audit compared internal records with on-chain data and found that customer-account balances exceeded assets held in Orionx-controlled wallets. Orionx filed a criminal complaint on Sept. 2 against co-founders Joaquín Díaz and Roberto Zibert, as well as other former employees, over alleged unauthorized transfers to external addresses between 2018 and 2021. Both co-founders denied wrongdoing. Tether was the sole investor in Orionx's June 2025 Series A round. Chile's Financial Market Commission rejected the exchange's license application on June 19, 2026, and said Orionx had never operated under the country's Fintech Law or received formal supervision.