Head of troubled Bitcoin exchange speaks out

Bitcoin buttons are displayed Feb. 12 on a table at the Inside Bitcoins conference in Berlin.(Photo: Frank Jordans, AP)

The head of Mt. Gox says he is "working very hard" to fix problems that forced the troubled Bitcoin exchange to stop trading.

Mark Karpeles posted a statement to the website of Mt. Gox^[1], his first comments since the exchange's website was disabled and halted trading, raising concerns over the viability of the digital currency.

"As there is a lot of speculation regarding MtGox and its future, I would like to use this opportunity to reassure everyone that I am still in Japan, and working very hard with the support of different parties to find a solution to our recent issues," Karpeles said in his statement.

Questions about the status of Mt. Gox started to surface Tuesday when Mt. Gox, one of the biggest Bitcoin exchanges, seemed to have disappeared^[2]. Its website only displays statements from Karpeles and from the company itself. On Sunday, the Bitcoin Foundation, the group that manages the cryptocurrency, says Mt. Gox resigned from their board of directors.

In a statement released Monday, representatives from the leading Bitcoin exchanges distanced themselves from Mt. Gox. "In order to re-establish the trust squandered by the failings of Mt. Gox, responsible bitcoin exchanges are working together and are committed to the future of bitcoin and the security of all customer funds," reads a statement on the Coinbase blog^[3].

Karpeles' comments follow recent^[4]reports^[5] that Mt. Gox has received a subpoena from federal prosecutors.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @bam923^[6].