SideSwap says the Liquid Network is back online and its markets have reopened, but there is a catch: you still cannot redeem L-BTC for regular Bitcoin. According to SideSwap, trading and swaps work again, yet L-BTC redemptions into Bitcoin through the Liquid Federation remain suspended.
Key Takeaways
- SideSwap says Liquid markets have reopened, with swaps and all its markets running again.
- L-BTC redemptions into Bitcoin remain suspended pending the Liquid Federation’s security review.
- A market reopening does not establish that redemptions have resumed; the two are separate.
SideSwap says Liquid markets have reopened
Liquid is a Bitcoin sidechain, a separate network linked to Bitcoin where users hold L-BTC, a token meant to be backed one-for-one by real Bitcoin. On September 10, SideSwap said the Liquid Network was producing blocks again and that swaps and all its markets were open, according to its announcement. For related coverage, see U.S. Bank Tests USBDC Stablecoin Transfers on Stellar.
SideSwap is a trading venue built on Liquid. It reopened peg-ins, the process of turning Bitcoin into L-BTC, on September 11. One Bitcoin is credited as one L-BTC minus SideSwap’s standard 0.1 percent fee, its follow-up said. For related coverage, see SEC Proposal Targets Tokenized Stock Ownership Records: Bitget.
SideSwap also stressed that it does not set L-BTC’s price. Buyers and sellers set prices on its open order books, and the firm warned of possible large price swings and thin order books in the first hours. That is a forecast, not a measured market reaction. For related coverage, see Kevin Hassett Disclosed Up to $5M in Coinbase Shares.
Other tokens on the network keep working. SideSwap said USDt and DePix are backed independently by their own issuers, and that DePix issuance, redemption, and SideSwap swaps and markets continue. For related coverage, see Circle Agrees to Buy Tazapay in $400 Million Stock Deal.
L-BTC redemptions into Bitcoin remain suspended
Here is the important distinction for holders: being able to trade is not the same as being able to cash out. SideSwap said on September 11 that peg-outs remain closed, both on the network and at SideSwap, pending the Liquid Federation’s security review. In plain terms, L-BTC cannot currently be redeemed for Bitcoin through the Federation.
So the access is one-sided right now. You can enter Liquid by turning Bitcoin into L-BTC at one-to-one, less the small fee. You cannot yet do the reverse and turn L-BTC back into Bitcoin.
SideSwap reported 4,229 L-BTC in circulation on September 11, citing liquid.network. That figure is a dated statement from SideSwap, not an independently verified live balance.
Reported L-BTC circulation
Against that supply, SideSwap reported 3,627 BTC in the Federation reserve on the same date. Reserves sitting below circulating supply are the reason redemptions are paused, and these reported balances do not tell you an L-BTC market price.
Reported Federation reserve
3,627 BTC
An earlier September 10 SideSwap snapshot showed 4,205 L-BTC in circulation and 3,597 BTC in reserve. That is a separate, older reading and should not be blended with the September 11 numbers.
Infrastructure provider Blockstream painted a similar picture. Its September 10 status update at 10:00 UTC said functionary and bridge-node updates were deployed and block production had resumed without transactions at that stage, while peg operations including PAK-authorized peg-outs remained suspended.
What the update leaves unresolved
The available updates do not say when redemptions will resume. No fetched official source establishes a peg-out restart deadline, a funding source for restoring reserves, or completed one-for-one backing.
Claims that the peg is already fully restored are not established. SideSwap relays a commitment from Blockstream’s Adam Back to future coverage while still reporting reserves below supply. That commitment is not the same as completed recapitalization.
There is also no verified L-BTC price reaction. A September 12 review by CryptoSlate said the public record lacked a reproducible post-restart L-BTC price, bid-ask spread, depth, slippage measure, or cross-venue comparison. Reserve coverage is not a trading discount.
For broad context only, Bitcoin itself traded at $77,256 with a 0.43 percent move over 24 hours, and the wider market’s Fear and Greed reading sat at 63, or “Greed.” Neither figure measures the Liquid incident.
This situation sits alongside other trust-and-backing stories in crypto, from bank-issued stablecoin experiments to payments firms expanding their reach, where how an asset is backed and redeemed matters as much as where it trades. Growing venues such as those seen in rising exchange trading volumes face the same core question.
The practical takeaway for a regular holder is simple. If you hold L-BTC, you can trade it on SideSwap, but you cannot currently redeem it for Bitcoin through the Federation. SideSwap noted that users who do not need L-BTC can simply wait until peg-outs reopen.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.
