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 SBF was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was revoked due to alleged witness tampering.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.

Video

Russian Crypto Miner BitRiver Hit by US Sanctions

CoinDesk Managing Editor for Global Policy and Regulation Nikhilesh De discusses Russian crypto mining firm BitRiver being hit with U.S. sanctions amid the invasion of Ukraine. Plus, a conversation about a recent meeting between FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried and members of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

21 apr 2022

Finanza

Sam Bankman-Fried: The Man, the Hair, the Vision

SBF is 30 and his company, FTX, is everywhere. He'll be appearing at CoinDesk's Consensus festival in June.

Di Jeff Wilser14 apr 2022

Opinioni

Waves Founder Blames Short Sellers for Its Woes. Here's Why That's a Red Flag

To longtime finance observers, blaming shorts often looks like the last desperate deflection of a project in denial about its failures.

Di David Z. Morris6 apr 2022

The WAVES smart-contract ecosystem has hit a rough patch. Its attempt to stop short selling might not be a sustainable solution. (Gabe LHeureux/ Getty Images)

Podcast

Post-Modern Monetary Theory

Di Nathaniel Whittemore27 mar 2022

Finanza

Praxis Raises $15M in Series A Funding Round

The startup is trying to build a city organized around remote work.

Di Stephen Alpher3 mar 2022

Finanza

Crypto Donations to Ukraine Jump to $20M

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Chain.com CEO Deepak Thapliyal have contributed.

Di Sam Reynolds28 feb 2022

Video

FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Talks Super Bowl, Future Plans, Crypto Regulation

Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of crypto exchange empire FTX, joins “The Hash” to discuss the process behind his platform’s ad campaign that played during Sunday’s Super Bowl, featuring comedian Larry David. How did it compare with other crypto ads?

14 feb 2022

Video

FTX Giving Away Free Bitcoin as Part of Super Bowl Commercial

Sam Bankman-Fried's crypto exchange FTX is launching a bitcoin giveaway tied to its first Super Bowl ad campaign. The amount of bitcoin given away depends on the time FTX’s spot airs during the game. "The Hash" hosts discuss FTX's latest bets in the world of sports marketing.

8 feb 2022

Video

Crypto Exchange FTX Reaches $32B Valuation With $400M Fundraise

Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX raised $400 million in a Series C funding round, valuing the crypto exchange at a total $32 billion valuation. It now has about the same market cap as Germany’s Deutsche Börse and more than the Nasdaq exchange or Twitter. “The Hash” hosts discuss what’s next for FTX.

31 gen 2022

Finanza

FTX US Attains $8B Valuation in $400M Fundraise Including SoftBank, Temasek

The cryptocurrency exchange intends to use the funds to launch new business lines and explore strategic investments and acquisitions.

Di Jamie Crawley, Danny Nelson26 gen 2022

FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. (CoinDesk TV)