my husband and I have 1300 bcc we are staking in the QT wallet. we are in the United States and aren't able to participate in the ICO, but we seriously considered taking a trip out of the country to buy in. we weighed the pros and cons and with the coin selling out so fast every day it just wasn't worth us spending the money on flying somewhere to not be able to buy any coin anyway. I do not personally believe this was a Ponzi scheme. I believe something(s) happened that put the pressure on bitconnect at the time that they were ramping up to release the new exchange. maybe they halted the lending in order to shake out the light hearted, and to get rid of the US members with the SEC on their ass. they have stated that bcc will be part of the new exchange. I believe it will be utilized in some way in the exchange itself. I do believe the value will rise again, and the bcc community left standing will be much stronger. I dont necessarily expect bcc to rise back to $400 a coin, but I expect $250 or so. you have to make your own decision. but my advise is put some, not all of your money into the ICO while you can. keep some bcc staking and grow your assets. then, bide your time. its hard to be patient right now, but those with a large amount invested really dont have a choice. day trade where you can too. we have made a grand here and there just keeping a close eye on prices. best of luck to you!HODL!