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 SBF was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was revoked due to alleged witness tampering.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

Finance

SBF, The Weeknd Join Board of Tom Brady’s NFT Platform

Brady is already an investor in FTX; Sam Bankman-Fried will now be on the board of Autograph.

By Helene BraunOct 21, 2021

Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd (Leon Bennett/WireImage)

Finance

FTX Raises $420,690,000

It’s a nice Series B-1 for Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange following a $900 million mega-round earlier this year.

By Danny NelsonOct 21, 2021

Videos

FTX.US Launches Collectibles Arm in Boost to Solana-Based NFTs

FTX.US, the U.S. wing of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire, is launching an NFT marketplace, FTX NFTs, which will allow users to trade, mint, auction and authenticate Solana-based NFTs. Plans to support Ethereum NFTs are in the works.

Oct 12, 2021

Finance

Sam Bankman-Fried Hands Control of Crypto Trading Firm Alameda to Two Deputies

The crypto billionaire had already shifted most of his time to running FTX. Caroline Ellison and Sam Trabucco will continue running the show at Alameda Research.

By Danny NelsonOct 12, 2021

San Francisco as seen from Alameda Island (Phil DuFrene/Unsplash)

Finance

7 Crypto Billionaires Make Forbes 2021 List of Richest Americans

The septet of crypto entrepreneurs includes six newcomers to the list including three of its youngest members.

By Eli TanOct 5, 2021

Finance

Crypto Exchange FTX Bats Down DC Super PAC Story

The crypto derivatives exchange said it had “no plans to establish any PAC or super PAC.”

By James RubinOct 5, 2021

Finance

FTX Expands in Bahamas With Registered Subsidiary

The Nassau-headquartered unit has been registered by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas as a digital assets business.

By Tanzeel AkhtarSep 20, 2021

Lighthouse, Nassau, Bahamas. (Viola/Pixabay)

Finance

Bankman-Fried Says Stricter Regulation of Crypto Exchanges Would Be Positive

FTX’s CEO said a ban on stablecoins would be “sad.”

By Tanzeel AkhtarSep 20, 2021

Videos

FTX CEO: 'Every Major Finance Firm Is Talking About Crypto'

Sam Bankman-Fried, head of crypto exchange FTX and trading firm Alameda Research, and co-founder of decentralized finance (DeFi) project Serum discusses institutional adoption of crypto and his conversations with Wall Street. He launched his career as a trader at Jane Street Capital before entering the digital asset space. Plus, his take on plans for FTX following a $900 million raise valuing the firm at $18 billion, crypto regulators reacting to the SEC's case against Coinbase, and transparency around stablecoins.

Sep 17, 2021

Videos

FTX.US President on Bitcoin, Altcoins, Crypto Regulations

Brett Harrison, president of crypto exchange FTX.US, the American arm of Sam Bankman Fried’s crypto empire FTX, joins “All About Bitcoin” live from the 2021 SALT Conference in New York to discuss what to make of large sums of bitcoin flows moving on his platform.

Sep 14, 2021