Mt.Gox, once the world's largest bitcoin exchange, is "at a turning point," CEO Mark Karpeles told Reuters in an email, as the trading website remained down on Tuesday after halting withdrawals earlier in February.

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In an emailed response to a question of whether the Tokyo-based exchange was dead, Karpeles said: "We should have an official announcement ready soon-ish. We are currently at a turning point for the business. I can't tell much more for now as this also involves other parties."

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The digital marketplace operator said earlier this month that it had detected "unusual activity" and its office in Tokyo was empty on Tuesday, barring a handful of protesters saying they had lost money in the virtual currency.