ftx
Alameda Research had a $65B secret line of credit with FTX: Report
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) reportedly ordered Gary Wang, co-founder of the crypto exchange, to open a $65 billion “secret backdoor line of credit” for Alameda Research, according to FTX attorney Andrew Dietderich. The attorney disclosed the information during a Delaware bankruptcy court hearing on Jan. 11, the New York Post reported. The alleged line of credit was financed with FTX customers’ funds. As per Dietderich testimony, the “backdoor was a secret way for Alameda to borrow from customers on the exchange without permission.” “Mr. Wang created this backdoor by inserting a single number into millions of lines of code for the exchange, creating a line of credit from FTX to Alameda, to which customers did not consent,” Dietderich told the court, adding...
Alameda Research had a $65B secret line of credit with FTX: Report
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) reportedly ordered Gary Wang, co-founder of the crypto exchange, to open a $65 billion “secret backdoor line of credit” for Alameda Research, according to FTX attorney Andrew Dietderich. The attorney disclosed the information during a Delaware bankruptcy court hearing on Jan. 11, the New York Post reported. The alleged line of credit was financed with FTX customers’ funds. As per Dietderich testimony, the “backdoor was a secret way for Alameda to borrow from customers on the exchange without permission.” “Mr. Wang created this backdoor by inserting a single number into millions of lines of code for the exchange, creating a line of credit from FTX to Alameda, to which customers did not consent,” Dietderich told the court, adding...
Gemini and Genesis’ legal troubles stand to shake up industry further
With investor confidence seemingly at an all-time low thanks to the recent slew of insolvencies, a new saga seems to be now unfolding in real time. This one involves crypto exchange Gemini’s Winklevoss twins and Barry Silbert, CEO of Digital Currency Group (DCG) — the parent firm behind crypto market maker and lender Genesis. On Jan. 2, Cameron Winklevoss posted an open letter to Barry Silbert reminding him of the fact that it had been “47 days since Genesis halted withdrawals” while also providing a blunt, seemingly confrontational assessment of DCG’s existing business practices: “For the past six weeks, we have done everything we can to engage with you in a good faith and collaborative manner in order to reach a consensual resolution for you to pay back the $900 million that you owe.” Th...
Skybridge eyes stake buyback from FTX, as Galaxy CEO says he would like to ‘punch’ SBF
SkyBridge Capital CEO Anthony Scaramucci said that his firm can buy back the stake of the company it sold to FTX back in September last year. While Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz has indicated that he would be tempted to “punch” SBF right in the jaw. SkyBridge and FTX FTX Ventures acquired a 30% stake in the alternative asset manager SkyBridge for an undisclosed fee on Sept. 9, just a couple of months before FTX filed for bankruptcy in November. Speaking to CNBC on Jan. 13, Scaramuci noted that in light of FTX’s troubles, SkyBridge is making progress in buying back that stake, but suggested the move wouldn’t be able to get sorted “until probably the end of the first half of this year.” “We’re waiting for the clearance from the bankruptcy people, the lawyers and the investment bankers to...
Alameda Research liquidators lost $72K during fund consolidation attempt
The liquidators of Alameda Research continue to encounter obstacles in their efforts to recover funds for creditors. Crypto analytics firm Arkham disclosed on Twitter that the liquidators lost $72,000 worth of digital assets on the decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform Aave while trying to consolidate funds into a single multisignature wallet. The liquidators were attempting to close a borrow position on Aave but instead removed extra collateral used for the position, putting the assets at risk of liquidation. Arkham reported that over nine days, the loan was liquidated twice for a total of 4.05 Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), which creditors will now not be able to recoup. This resulted in the liquidation of around 4 WBTC, $72K at current prices. When positions are forcibly closed on...
Trust is key to crypto exchange sustainability — CoinDCX CEO
Investor sentiment has always been a critical driver in the crypto space. Both positive and negative sentiment influence ongoing trends — be they price movements, product launches or regulations. In 2022, sentiment worldwide suffered as major crypto firms and ecosystems collapsed, further straining investors amid an unforgiving bear market. While many showed resilience as Terraform Labs, Celsius and Voyager, among others, closed down, Sam Bankman-Fried’s alleged misappropriation of FTX customers’ funds drove even the most die-hard crypto investors to question the integrity of those running the show. A series of scams, crashes, bankruptcy filings and court cases have forced investors to rethink how they store crypto and seek accountability from crypto exchanges. Proof of reserves (PoR) beca...
Here’s how to quickly spot a deepfake crypto scam — cybersecurity execs
Crypto investors have been urged to keep their eyes peeled for “deepfake” crypto scams to come, with the digital-doppelganger technology continuing to advance, making it harder for viewers to separate fact from fiction. David Schwed, the COO of blockchain security firm Halborn told Cointelegraph that the crypto industry is more “susceptible” to deepfakes than ever because “time is of the essence in making decisions” which results in less time to verify the veracity of a video. Cast your vote now! Deepfakes use deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) to create highly realistic digital content by manipulating and altering original media, such as swapping faces in videos, photos, and audio, according to technical writer at OpenZeppelin Vlad Estoup. Estoup noted that crypt...
Congress may be ‘ungovernable,’ but US could see crypto legislation in 2023
The United States House of Representatives finally elected a speaker last week, concluding a four-day, 15-ballot ordeal that left many wondering if political gridlock was now the new normal in the U.S., and if so, what the consequences would be. For example, were the concessions made by Republican Kevin McCarthy to secure his election as speaker ultimately going to make it difficult to achieve any sort of legislative consensus, making it impossible for the U.S. to raise its debt ceiling and fund the government later this year? Not all were optimistic. The House of Representatives will be largely “ungovernable” in 2023, Representative Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from New York, told Cointelegraph on Jan. 6, shortly before joining colleagues for that day’s series of ballots — which final...
Miami-Dade gains right to remove FTX name from Heat arena
Miami-Dade County will soon start to remove FTX’s advertising brand from the NBA’s Miami Heat arena, after granting the right from a United States bankruptcy judge in Delaware on Jan. 11, the Associated Press reports. County officials negotiated in 2021 a $135 million deal with the crypto exchange for renaming rights to the Miami Heat’s arena as FTX Arena until 2040. A number of entrances, the roof of the arena, the basketball court, the security polo shirts, as well as many of the cards employees use to access the facility are branded with FTX logos. Following FTX’s bankruptcy filing, officials in Miami-Dade filed on Nov. 22 a motion to terminate the naming rights agreement. As part of that deal, the Heat were to receive $2 million annually beginning in June 2021. ...
US authorities launch page to notify FTX’s alleged victims about SBF’s case
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has launched a page on its website appealing to Sam Bankman-Fried’s alleged victims of fraud at FTX to come forward and informing them about court proceedings. In a Jan. 6 filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon requested the federal court allow her office to take “reasonable, accurate, and timely notice” to inform alleged fraud victims from crypto exchange FTX while under the leadership of Bankman-Fried. According to Sassoon, the government proposed an “alternative plan” for notifying victims in the FTX case through an online notice which went live on Jan. 6. According to the court filing, the number of victims in the FTX case — more than one million creditors — made it “impractical” to rely on more traditi...
Digital Currency Group under investigation by U.S. authorities: Report
Crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group, or DCG, are under investigation by the United States Department of Justice’s Eastern District of New York (EDNY) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), according to a Bloomberg report. The authorities are digging into internal transfers between DCG and its subsidiary crypto lending firm Genesis Global Capital, noted the report citing people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors have already requested interviews and documents from both the companies, while the SEC is running an early-stage similar inquiry. As of yet, no indictment has been brought against DCG, nor have both U.S. authorities provided any information about the case. According to a spokesperson for DCG, the company was unaware of the investigation. “DCG h...
Ferrari cuts ties with crypto sponsor ahead of 2023 Formula One season
Scuderia Ferrari, the racing division of luxury carmaker Ferrari, joined the growing list of Formula One racing teams to end partnerships with their cryptocurrency sponsors. Ferrari exited its multi-year partnership deals with Velas Blockchain and chip manufacturing giant Snapdragon, resulting in a cumulative $55 million loss for the Italian team ahead of the 2023 season. The Ferrari-Velas partnership from 2021 — set at $30 million a year — was aimed at increasing fan engagement through nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and other shared initiatives. However, the team was noncompliant with the clauses that permit Velas to create NFT images, according to RacingNews365. On November 2022, Mercedes, too, bore a loss of $15 million after suspending its partnership with FTX as the crypto exchange filed f...
