One of the first companies to pivot to crypto is getting eviscerated after being ousted from the Russell

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One of the first companies to pivot to crypto is getting eviscerated after being ousted from the Russell

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  • Longfin will be removed from the Russell 2000 index after market close Thursday.
  • The company saw its stock pop 2,400% after pivoting to blockchain.

Longfin, a little-known import/export financier who's stock popped 2,400% after purchasing a blockchain company, has lost three-quarters of its book value this week after being kicked off FTSE's Russell index.

The New York-based firm, listed in London, is set to be removed from the Russell 2000 index Thursday after failing to keep at least 5% of its shares available to the public, the exchange said in a statement Monday.

Shares of Longfin originally traded at just over $5 when the company originally went public, but spiked as high as $72.38, according to Markets Insider data, after announcing it had bought Ziddu, a blockchain company specializing in business-to-business warehouse payments.

To add to Longfin's pain, well-known short-seller Andrew Left's Citron Research accused the company of fraud shortly after the announcement from FTSE.

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"If you are fortunate enough to get a borrow, indeed $LFIN is a pure stock scheme. @sec_enforcement should not be far behind," Citron tweeted. "Filings and press releases are riddled with inaccuracies and fraud."

Despite the steep losses, Longfin's stock is up 233% since its IPO.

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