Buenbit, an Argentinian cryptocurrency exchange, has announced a series of layoffs due to the downturn that traditional and crypto markets are currently facing. Buenbit’s co-founder and CEO, Federico Ogue, clarified that this move had nothing to do with the recent Terra ecosystem disaster and that from now on, the exchange would focus on keeping operations in countries where it already has an established presence.

Buenbit Announces Layoffs

Buenbit, an Argentinian cryptocurrency exchange, has announced a change in its hiring strategy due to the recent downturn that the cryptocurrency and stock markets are facing. According to some reports, the company will be laying off almost half of its current workforce across the three countries where it operates, including some senior executives.

Federico Ogue, co-founder and CEO of the exchange, stated on social media that these changes were the consequence of the tech industry facing a review phase. Ogue stated:

Given this new context, we decided to reduce our staff and pause our expansion plan to focus exclusively on operations in the countries where we are present today and maintain a self-sustaining and efficient structure.

Furthermore, Ogue revealed that this move had nothing to do with the recent collapse of the Terra ecosystem, even though the exchange did offer Terra-related services as part of its investment portfolio. “It is a decision that we have been working on for months. It is an adjustment that is taking place throughout the startup industry,” he explained.

Expansion Plans Halted

This new strategy ends the expansion plans the company had revealed during its Series A financing round, which raised $11 million for this goal in July 2021. The company announced that its focus will be to maintain the same quality of operations in countries where it is already present.

The company stated this was a proactive response to an upcoming problem, “in order to avoid, in the near future, the unnecessary exposure of the company to the dependence of raising a next round of investment, when the market numbers indicate that this is not the correct strategy to follow in the current context.”

Other exchanges have also announced changes in their hiring strategies due to the new direction of the global economic markets. Coinbase, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, recently noted it would slow down its hiring process to be in a better position during and after the current market downturn.

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