Sam Bankman-Fried

Sam Bankman-Fried, once a pivotal figure in the cryptocurrency industry, was convicted in November 2023 of committing fraud and conspiracy for stealing billions of dollars of money belonging to customers of his FTX crypto exchange, funneling the money to Alameda Research, his hedge fund. FTX had been one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges before its demise, a major player in derivatives trading including perpetual futures. The company's undoing was spurred by a CoinDesk scoop in November 2022 showing Alameda's balance sheet was mysteriously full of the FTT token issued by FTX – calling into question both Alameda and FTX's financial stability. The Bahamas-based company filed for bankruptcy nine days after the story. Before his downfall, SBF (as the former billionaire is commonly known as) had been a leading figure in crypto, pushing for regulation of the industry in the U.S. He was a major political donor and the public face of effective altruism, a movement geared toward maximizing the amount of good done by philanthropy. SBF was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was revoked due to alleged witness tampering. His trial began in October 2023, and he was convicted on Nov. 2, 2023, a year to the day after the CoinDesk story that caused his crypto empire to crumble.


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Sam Bankman-Fried: I Didn’t Knowingly Commingle Funds

In a highly anticipated interview at The New York Times' DealBook Summit, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried expressed regret over his exchange's collapse, but clung to the narrative that it was a bet gone wrong. "First Mover" hosts Christine Lee, Emily Parker and Lawrence Lewitinn weigh in.

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Sam Bankman-Fried Distances Himself From Alameda: I Wasn’t Running It

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried apologized for the collapse of his crypto exchange in an anticipated interview with The New York Times, but distanced himself from Alameda Research. "I wasn’t running Alameda. I didn’t know exactly what was going on. I didn’t know the size of their position," Bankman-Fried said. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses the takeaways from the interview.

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BlockFi Has $355M in Crypto Frozen on FTX; Sam Bankman-Fried Addresses FTX Collapse

Crypto lender BlockFi has about $355 million in crypto frozen on FTX. Sam Bankman-Fried addresses Bahamian FTX withdrawals and the collapse of his crypto exchange in a newly released audio interview from Tiffany Fong. Coinbase Wallet will no longer support the native tokens associated with Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum Classic (ETC) and others, effective Dec. 5.

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Bankrupt BlockFi Sues Sam Bankman-Fried Over Robinhood Shares: FT

Cryptocurrency lender BlockFi, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, on the same day sued FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's Emergent Fidelity Technologies holding company for Robinhood Markets (HOOD) shares held by the company and pledged to BlockFi as collateral, the Financial Times reported, citing loan documents it had seen. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De dicusses the latest developments.

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3Commas Customers Are Asking How Funds Were Drained From Their Accounts

Over a dozen users of the crypto trading service 3Commas, which was backed by Sam Bankman-Fried’s Alameda Research, say the platform leaked their credentials and enabled attackers to run away with over $6 million in user funds. CoinDesk Tech Reporter Sam Kessler explains what exactly happened and why conflicting statements from 3Commas have invited more questions than answers.

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Juridique

Les autorités turques ordonnent la saisie des actifs « suspects » de FTX

Le Conseil d'enquête sur les crimes financiers du pays a déclaré que Sam Bankman-Fried faisait également l'objet d'une enquête.

The collapse of crypto exchange FTX under Sam Bankman-Fried raises the issue of proofs of reserve. (CoinDesk)

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Sam Bankman-Fried Scrutiny Ramps Up; Bitcoin Wallet of Failed BTC-e Exchange Wakes Up

Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland they want Sam Bankman-Fried and others investigated for FTX's collapse. Plus, a crypto wallet linked to the failed BTC-e exchange sent a total of 10,000 bitcoins to two unidentified recipients, its largest transaction since August 2017.

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Binance.US Leans Into National Politics With New Campaign PAC

Binance.US is stepping into national politics with its own political action committee (PAC), the Binance.US Innovation PAC. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses what this means for crypto's role in politics as FTX and its former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried vanish from U.S. policy circles.

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Bankman-Fried Apologizes to FTX Employees, Details Amount of Leverage in Internal Letter

FTX’s former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried apologized to the crypto exchange’s employees and revealed the amount of leverage in an internal letter. "I froze up in the face of pressure,” Bankman-Fried wrote. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De breaks down the contents of the letter.

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Bankman-Fried's FTX Empire Holds $1.2B Cash Reserves; Senators Ask Fidelity to Reconsider Bitcoin 401(k)

Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX empire has $1.2 billion in cash as of Nov. 20, far below the $3.1 billion it owes its top 50 creditors. Fidelity should reconsider allowing retail clients exposure to bitcoin in their retirement accounts in light of the FTX collapse, said three Democratic senators in a letter on Monday. Bitcoin miner Core Scientific (CORZ) ended October with $32.2 million in cash and 62 BTC ($975,000), reiterating it may run out of money before the end of the year.

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