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 SBF was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was revoked due to alleged witness tampering.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

Videos

Judge Allows FTX to Sell LedgerX, Japanese Units; Media Outlets Seek To Know Who Bailed Out Sam Bankman-Fried

A Delaware bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday that FTX can put four key units, including derivatives arm LedgerX and stock-clearing platform Embed, up for sale. Meanwhile, major media groups have taken legal action to reveal the identities of the two non-parental parties who co-signed Sam Bankman-Fried's $250 million bail bond. "The Hash" panel weighs in.

Jan 13, 2023

Policy

Crypto Bankruptcies Are Very Complicated

The FTX, Voyager, Celsius and BlockFi bankruptcy proceedings are proving how complicated they really are.

By Nikhilesh DeJan 13, 2023

Policy

Bloomberg, WSJ, CoinDesk Among the Media Outlets Seeking to Know Who Bailed Out Sam Bankman-Fried

Lawyers for the former CEO of failed crypto exchange FTX requested and were granted anonymity for two parties who backed the $250 million bond that sprung Bankman-Fried from jail.

By Jack SchicklerJan 13, 2023

El fundador de FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Policy

After FTX, Crypto Companies No Longer Have ‘Benefit of the Doubt’ on Capitol Hill, Says Congressman

When it comes to regulation, the U.S. needs to “get its act together,” Rep. Jim Himes told CoinDesk TV.

By Fran VelasquezJan 12, 2023

Tokens vinculados con billeteras de Alameda se vendieron por bitcoin en el último día. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Policy

Sam Bankman-Fried Blogs Like a Crypto Robin Hood, but in Court He's Not So Charitable

The FTX founder’s claimed largesse about giving his funds away contrasts with a legal battle to keep control of $450 million in shares – that were paid for a loan from Bankman-Fried’s Alameda Research

By Jack SchicklerJan 12, 2023

Sam Bankman-Fried, a modern-day Robin Hood? (George Rinhart/Corbis/Getty Images)

Policy

Sam Bankman-Fried publica un nuevo posteo y niega haber robado fondos de FTX

El ex CEO de FTX culpó al desplome del mercado de criptomonedas, a la escasa cobertura de Alameda y a un “ataque dirigido” de Binance por el colapso del exchange.

By Nelson Wang, Sandali HandagamaJan 12, 2023

Videos

Sam Bankman-Fried's New Online Post: 'I Certainly Didn’t Stash Billions Away'

Disgraced former chief of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried denied stashing away billions of dollars and gave his take on what happened to his bankrupt crypto exchange in a lengthy new post on Substack published Thursday. "The Hash" panel weighs in on Bankman-Fried's further defense of the collapse of his crypto empire.

Jan 12, 2023

Videos

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried Launches Substack: 'I Didn’t Steal Funds'

Disgraced former chief of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, denied stashing billions and gave his take on what happened to his bankrupt crypto exchange in a lengthy new post on Substack published Thursday. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De joins "First Mover" to discuss.

Jan 12, 2023

Videos

Rep. Jim Himes on Crypto Regulation Outlook

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) joins "First Mover" to discuss how policymakers are approaching crypto in the 2023 agenda amid the uncertainty surrounding crypto giant Digital Currency Group (DCG) and the fallout of crypto exchange FTX. DCG is the parent company of CoinDesk. The Congressman weighs in on whether Sam Bankman-Fried's political donations and previous appearances in Washington, D.C. had any impact on crypto regulation. Plus, his insights on SEC's approach to regulating digital assets.

Jan 12, 2023