Sam Bankman-Fried news-Page 14
Breaking: FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrested and in custody: Attorney General
Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange has been arrested and taken into custody by authorities in The Bahamas. According to a letter from the Office of the Attorney General on Dec. 12, Bankman-Fried was arrested by The Royal Bahamas Police Force following formal notification from the United States that it has filed criminal charges against SBF. This is a developing story and more information will be added as it becomes available.
Regulation / Dec. 12, 2022
FTX was an 'utter failure of corporate controls at every level of an organization', says CEO
John Ray, who took over as CEO of crypto exchange FTX amid bankruptcy proceedings, has written detailed testimony in preparation for his appearance before the United States House Financial Services Committee. In testimony made available for the ‘Investigating the Collapse of FTX, Part I’ hearing on Dec. 13, Ray reiterated many of the claims made in bankruptcy court, saying the collapse of the collapse was due in part to “the absolute concentration of control in the hands of a very small group of grossly inexperienced and unsophisticated individuals.” Ray, who oversaw the liquidation of energy company Enron during the early …
Regulation / Dec. 12, 2022
SBF misses the Senate hearing but promises to testify to the House: Law Decoded
Welcome to Law Decoded, your weekly digest of all the major developments in the field of regulation. So, Sam Bankman-Fried, public enemy number one, won’t appear in front of Senators on Dec. 14, as he missed the deadline for responding to a Senate Banking Committee request. However, we could witness the entrepreneur appear before Congress even a day earlier, on Dec. 13. Replying to a thread of tweets from Representative Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee, the former CEO of FTX expressed his willingness to testify at a committee hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives. John Ray, …
Regulation / Dec. 12, 2022
Sam Bankman-Fried says he will testify before the US House Financial Services Committee remotely
Continuing his so-called apology tour, Sam Bankman-Fried appeared on a Twitter Spaces chat with Unusual Whales and told nearly 60,000 listeners that he intends to testify at the United States House of Representatives Financial Services Committee remotely on Dec. 13. He was previously confirmed to appear in person. Bankman-Fried, who is allegedly currently located in the Bahamas, missed the deadline to confirm his appearance before the Senate Banking Committee the following day, despite the threat of a subpoena. Despite his frequent public speaking, Bankman-Fried has gone silent on Twitter himself, not posting since Dec. 9, when he indicated his agreement …
Blockchain / Dec. 12, 2022
US Senator: There's 'no reason why' crypto should exist
Another crypto-skeptic United States senator is on the loose, with Democrat Jon Tester boldly stating that he sees “no reason why” crypto should exist. Tester is the senior senator of Montana and has held a seat there since 2007. He also serves on the Senate Banking Committee, which is one of the key players involved in the ongoing debate over U.S. crypto regulation. During a Dec. 11 appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, Tester essentially argued that as crypto has no real value at all, the sector shouldn’t be regulated as that would give it legitimacy. “It's not been able …
Regulation / Dec. 12, 2022
SBF wants to start a new business, officially added as hearing witness
The founder and former CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, said he’d be interested in forming a new venture aimed at paying back the customers he owes money to. "I would give anything to be able to do that. And I'm going to try if I can," Bankman-Fried responded when asked if he’d start a new business to repay FTX investors in a Dec. 10 interview with the BBC. "I'm going to be thinking about how we can help the world and if users haven't gotten much back, I'm going to be thinking about what I can do …
Business / Dec. 12, 2022
Former top SEC crypto regulator hired by Caroline Ellison
A former top crypto regulator in the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will represent Caroline Ellison, ex-Alameda Research CEO, in an ongoing federal probe, according to a report from Bloomberg on Dec. 10. Caroline will be represented by Stephanie Avakian and a team of attorneys from WilmerHale. Avakain is currently chair of the Securities and Financial Services department at the law firm. At the SEC, where she was a director at the Enforcement Division and responsible to expand cryptocurrency oversight, bringing cases against Robinhood and Ripple Lab. According to the law firm website, "Ms. Avakian oversaw the Division’s …
Sec / Dec. 11, 2022
Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents no longer on the Stanford Law School roster
The domino effect of FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s actions came full circle as his reputation began impacting the professional lives of his parents — Stanford Law professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried. SBF’s father, Bankman, had to cancel his winter session course on tax policy, which according to The Standford Daily, was at a time when the family was accused of acquiring an FTX-owned $16.4 million vacation home before the crypto exchange’s collapse. On the other hand, SBF’s mother, Fried, was surprisingly not even listed as an instructor for any of the courses. While this event coincides with FTX’s fallout, …
Altcoin / Dec. 11, 2022
Who’s expected to testify before Congressional hearings on FTX?
United States lawmakers have been pushing for certain witnesses — including Sam Bankman-Fried — to appear before committee hearings scheduled in December. Who should the crypto space expect to see testifying on the events leading to the downfall of FTX? On Dec. 9, Bankman-Fried, or SBF, said — under threat of a potential subpoena — that he was willing to speak at a U.S. House hearing aimed at exploring FTX’s collapse. Leadership with both the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee had suggested that they might subpoena the former FTX CEO, prompting SBF to say on Twitter he …
Regulation / Dec. 9, 2022
Ethereum and Litecoin make a move while Bitcoin price searches for firmer footing
Crypto price action has been rough over the past few months, but a few green shoots are finally beginning to emerge. While Bitcoin (BTC) remains in a downtrend, its price has recently found support at the $17,000 level, and ping-pong price action in the $16,700–$17,300 range appears to be allowing traders to pursue some interesting setups in a few altcoins. Let’s take a quick peek at some enticing patterns showing up on the weekly time frame. Time for Litecoin’s halving hopium? As a fork of Bitcoin, Litecoin (LTC) tends to turn bullish several months before its reward halving takes place, …
Bitcoin / Dec. 9, 2022
CEO of crypto news site The Block resigns for failing to disclose $27M loans from Alameda Research
Bobby Moran of crypto news website the Block has announced he will be assuming the position of chief executive officer following the resignation of Mike McCaffrey, who reportedly financed the platform through loans from Sam Bankman-Fried’s Alameda Research. In a Dec. 9 announcement, Moran said McCaffrey had made an executive decision to restructure The Block in 2021 which involved a series of loans totaling $27 million from Alameda Research, a hedge fund part of former CEO Bankman-Fried’s FTX Group. According to Moran, the former CEO of The Block failed to disclose the loans to the site’s leadership team, demonstrating “a …
Business / Dec. 9, 2022
CZ and SBF duke it out on Twitter over failed FTX/Binance deal
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, or SBF, have revealed new details about the failed agreement between the exchanges during FTX’s liquidity crisis in November. In a Dec. 9 Twitter thread, CZ referred to Bankman-Fried as a “fraudster,” saying Binance exited its position in FTX in July 2021 after becoming “increasingly uncomfortable with Alameda/SBF.” According to the Binance CEO, SBF was “unhinged” at the exchange pulling out — a claim that prompted an online response from the former FTX CEO. Bankman-Fried criticized CZ for his public admonition of FTX, adding details about the negotiations …
Business / Dec. 9, 2022