Bitcoin miner Core Scientific raised $500M from BlackRock, Apollo, other creditors

Troubled bitcoin (BTC-USD) miner Core Scientific (OTCPK:CORZQ) raised about $500M from its convertible notes that were purchased by high-profile asset managers BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) and Apollo Global Management as well as other creditors, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing a court filing.

Core (OTCPK:CORZQ) filed for bankruptcy protection on Dec. 21, 2022, as miners’ profitability margins suffered last year from falling bitcoin (BTC-USD) prices as well as rising electricity/computing costs and a high network hashrate.

In August 2022, BlackRock (BLK), the world’s largest asset manager, purchased $38M of convertible notes through funds and accounts managed by its subsidiaries, according to the report, and recently provided $17M to Core’s (OTCPK:CORZQ) debtor-in-possession facility to keep the company operational.

Similarly, Apollo (NYSE:APO) bought $22.6M of convertible notes in April 2022 followed by an $11M purchase in August 2022 and a $6M contribution to CORZQ’s debtor-in-possession loan, which has a cap of $75M. Ibex Investors was the largest holder of CORZQ’s notes, followed by fellow investment firms Gullane Capital, ICG Advisors and MassMutual.

Previously, (Dec. 21, 2022) Core Scientific was said to explore a sale of up to one gigawatt worth of its mining facilities under development.