Supreme Court Rejects Final Appeal
The UK Supreme Court has officially rejected an appeal from Bitcoin SV (BSV) investors, ending a legal battle that sought more than $13 billion in damages from major crypto exchanges. The ruling brings a decisive close to claims stemming from BSV’s delisting by platforms such as Binance and Kraken in 2019.
Three Supreme Court justices - Lord Hodge, Lord Sales, and Lady Rose - concluded that the case failed to raise any arguable point of law or issue of broader public importance, leaving no legal basis for further appeal.
Investors Blamed Delisting for Long-Term Losses
The plaintiffs, operating under BSV Claims Limited, argued that exchange delistings caused both an immediate collapse in BSV’s price and a so-called “forgone growth effect.” According to the claim, BSV would have eventually achieved valuation levels comparable to Bitcoin (BTC) if not for the coordinated removal from trading platforms.
Courts consistently rejected this argument, calling the assumption speculative and unsupported by market evidence.
Earlier Rulings Already Undermined the Case
The Supreme Court’s decision follows a series of defeats for BSV investors. In July 2024, the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal struck out the “forgone growth” argument entirely, ruling that it was unreasonable to assume BSV could rival Bitcoin’s market dominance.
A renewed attempt to revive the claim in May was dismissed again under the “market mitigation rule” which requires investors to take reasonable steps to limit losses when alternative markets are available. Judges ruled that BSV holders could have exited positions once delistings became clear.
BSV’s Long Decline Continues
Launched in 2018 as a hard fork of Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin SV positioned itself as a return to Satoshi Nakamoto’s original vision. However, the project has faced years of controversy, technical issues, and declining relevance.
BSV is now down over 96% from its 2021 peak of $489.75, recently trading near $18. Its decline accelerated after a UK court ruled in 2024 that Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, undermining one of the project’s central narratives.
Exchanges Cut Ties After Network Instability
Several exchanges had already distanced themselves from BSV well before the lawsuit concluded. Coinbase fully disabled BSV support in 2021, citing network instability following a 51% attack. Other platforms followed suit, pointing to security concerns and low liquidity.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin itself has surged, hitting a new high above $126,000 in October, highlighting the widening gap between BTC and its offshoots.
Legal Door Now Closed
With the Supreme Court refusal, BSV investors have no remaining legal avenues in the UK to pursue damages related to exchange delistings. The ruling reinforces the principle that exchanges retain discretion over listings and that speculative growth assumptions are not grounds for compensation.
For the broader crypto market, the decision sets a clear precedent: delisting alone does not equal liability.
