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 SBF was arrested in December 2022, and his bail was revoked due to alleged witness tampering.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

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, 10:21 a.m. EST

Finance

Sam Bankman-Fried Denies Stealing FTX Funds in New Online Post

The former FTX CEO blamed the exchange's collapse on the crypto market meltdown, Alameda’s poor hedging and a "targeted attack" by Binance.

By Nelson Wang, Sandali HandagamaJan 12, 2023, 9:18 a.m. EST

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

Videos

Bitcoin CME Futures Draw Premium for the First Time Since FTX's Downfall

The market panic that ensued after the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX exchange in early November seems to be abating. The three-month bitcoin (BTC) futures listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), widely considered a proxy for institutional activity, are drawing a premium over the cryptocurrency's going spot market price for the first time since FTX went bust.

Jan 11, 2023, 3:49 p.m. EST

Videos

Former FTX Exec Nishad Singh Met with Prosecutors: Report

Nishad Singh, FTX’s former director of engineering, is said to be engaging with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, according to a Bloomberg report. CoinDesk Global Policy & Regulation Managing Editor Nikhilesh De discusses what this could mean for Sam Bankman-Fried's legal proceedings and what to expect from FTX's upcoming bankruptcy hearing.

Jan 10, 2023, 10:39 a.m. EST

Markets