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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 SBF was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was revoked due to alleged witness tampering.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.
Bitcoin Falls to $17K Level on FTX Contagion Fears
"Sam Bankman-Fried was very much the Jamie Dimon of crypto," says Defiance ETFs CEO Sylvia Jablonski. "When you see a major player on what feels like the verge of collapse ... it destroys the confidence of investors," she adds, explaining bitcoin (BTC)'s fall to $17,000 following the news of a potential Binance-FTX merger.
Rep. Jim Himes Reacts to FTX Fallout
Newly re-elected Congressman Jim Himes reacts to the possible Binance takeover of FTX, given Sam Bankman-Fried's role as a large donor in this election cycle. "He spent a lot of time on Capitol Hill in a really important role ... educating the Congress," Himes says of Bankman-Fried. Plus, Himes compares the FTX fallout to the "ultimate meltdown" of the internet in the early 2000s.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Exchange FTX Agrees to Sell Itself to Rival Binance
Binance agreed to buy rival cryptocurrency exchange FTX, a stunning outcome that followed days of speculation – spurred by a CoinDesk article on Nov. 2 – that FTX and corporate sibling Alameda Research faced a liquidity crisis. CoinDesk Deputy Managing Editor Tracy Wang discusses the state of the FTX-Binance deal and the potential ripple effects.
Why Did FTX Pause Withdrawals if It Wasn't Trading Customer Funds?
The exchange's own terms of service dictate customer balances shouldn't have moved. So what really happened?
Binance Is Strongly Leaning Toward Scrapping FTX Rescue Takeover After First Glance at Books: Source
Backing out would be one more stunning development in the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire.
Binance CEO Zhao Says Planned FTX Acquisition Is Not a 'Win for Us'
Zhao also noted in a Wednesday memo to staff that Binance had stopped selling its holdings of FTX's tokens given the ongoing due diligence for the deal.
Stablecoin Heavyweights Circle and Tether Distance Themselves From FTX, Alameda
FTX was one of the investors in Circle's financing round of $440 million last year.
NFL Legend Tom Brady Caught in FTX Fallout, Risks Losing Complete Strategic Investment
A tarnished record after coming out of retirement, a divorce and now a wipeout of the strategic investment in FTX. It has been a rough year for the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
These Four Key Charts Shed Light on the FTX Exchange's Spectacular Collapse
Nansen’s on-chain metrics suggest several reasons why FTX decided to sell itself to Binance.
