Paxful – a peer-to-peer (P2P) platform for trading bitcoin (BTC) – is suspending its marketplace, and is unsure whether operations will resume, according to a message from CEO Ray Youssef published on its website.

"This will probably come as a big shock to many," said Youssef. "While I cannot share the full story now, I can say that we unfortunately have had some key staff departures." Youssef also took note of regulatory challenges, particularly in the P2P market and in the U.S.