Helene Braun

Helene is a New York-based news reporter at CoinDesk, covering news about Wall Street, the rise of the spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and updates on crypto exchanges. She is also the co-host of CoinDesk's Markets Daily show on Spotify and Youtube. Helene is a recent graduate of New York University's business and economic reporting program and has appeared on CBS News, YahooFinance and Nasdaq TradeTalks. She holds BTC and ETH.

Helene Braun

Latest from Helene Braun


Policy

Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison to Testify Tuesday in Sam Bankman-Fried Trial

Gary Wang, a former top lieutenant in Bankman-Fried’s empire, testified that Alameda had “special privileges” at FTX that allowed the hedge fund to spend $8 billion of exchange customers’ money.

Sam Bankman-Fried (Liz Napolitano/CoinDesk)

Policy

Sam Bankman-Fried, Other FTX Execs Committed Financial Crimes, Co-Founder Wang Testifies

Gary Wang, the former chief technology officer and co-founder of FTX, told a jury that he, Bankman-Fried and fellow former executives Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh committed multiple forms of fraud.

Matt Huang of Paradigm arrives in court on Thursday, Oct. 5 to testify against Sam Bankman-Fried (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk).

Policy

Sam Bankman-Fried ‘Lied,’ DOJ Tells Jury; Defense Tries to Pin FTX Collapse on Caroline Ellison

“He poured money – other people’s money – into investments to make himself even richer,” the prosecutor said in opening arguments.

Sam Bankman-Fried  (Liz Napolitano/CoinDesk)

Policy

No Sam Bankman-Fried Jury Yet; Judge Expects to Cull 50 Prospects Quickly on Wednesday

Several prospective jurors revealed that they or loved ones lost money on crypto, including one whose brother was nearly ruined.

Sam Bankman-Fried (Nikhilesh De/CoinDesk)

Policy

Sam Bankman-Fried’s Closest Friends Will Testify Against Him. Here’s Who Else We’ll Hear From

Sam Bankman-Fried's trial is set to start this Tuesday, and some of his former closest friends, have become his biggest threat.

Sam Bankman-Fried outside U.S. District Court on Feb. 9, 2023 (Liz Napolitano/CoinDesk)

Policy

Sam Bankman-Fried Goes on Trial Tomorrow

Crypto's biggest trial begins tomorrow. Its outcome may hinge on Sam Bankman-Fried's former colleagues.

SBF Trial Newsletter Graphic

Policy

Judge Denies Temporary Release For Sam Bankman-Fried, Suggests He Could Face 'Very Long Sentence'

Bankman-Fried’s lawyers had requested that he be released for the duration of his trial to ensure that he is able to review material and speak with his counsel.

FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried exiting a federal courthouse in New York last year. (Nikhilesh De/CoinDesk)

Policy

2 Small Wins For Sam Bankman-Fried

Bankman-Fried had a few small wins in court, but his big challenge – securing a temporary release – may be decided later today.

SBF Trial Newsletter Graphic

Finance

Crypto Exchange Kraken to Explore Stock Trading: Bloomberg

The service could launch as soon as 2024, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Kraken Crypto App

Policy

Judge Allows Bankrupt FTX to Sell Its Crypto Holdings, Including BTC and SOL

Lawyers of FTX had submitted a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, asking for permission to sell, stake and hedge its crypto holdings in order to pay back creditors.

John J Ray III took over as FTX CEO in November (House Committee on Financial Services)