Bitstamp made the highly-anticipated announcement that it has started the process of returning digital assets to Mt. Gox creditors.

The cryptocurrency exchange said in a statement Wednesday it has received bitcoin, bitcoin cash and Ethereum from the Mt. Gox trustees and will begin distributing the digital assets to Bitstamp customers starting Thursday, July 25.

"In total, approximately 20,000 former users of Mt. Gox, which collapsed in 2014 after being hacked, are set to receive over $9 billion worth of bitcoin, bitcoin cash, and Ethereum as part of the restitution process," Bitstamp said in its statement.