Crypto media outlet CoinDesk is reportedly considering a potential sale as its parent company Digital Currency Group (DCG) looks to strengthen its balance sheet. According to the Wall Street Journal, CoinDesk has sought the help of investment bankers from financial advisory firm Lazard, who are helping the firm weigh options including a full or partial sale. You know, I just realized that Coindesk is for sale. pic.twitter.com/QqmBPOClpu — Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) January 19, 2023 DCG has purportedly received multiple offers exceeding $200 million to buy out the media firm over the last few months, which would result in a phenomenal …
The CEO of crypto exchange FTX has rejected calls for its law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to be replaced as lead counsel in its bankruptcy case. John J. Ray III, who was appointed as the new FTX CEO on Nov. 11, filed a court motion on Jan. 17, arguing that Sullivan & Cromwell has been integral in taking control over the “dumpster fire” that was handed to him. Ray suggested that retaining their services is in the best interest of FTX creditors, arguing: “The advisors are not the villains in these cases. The villains are being pursued by the appropriate …
Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), former CEO of the FTX crypto exchange, used his influence in the crypto industry to inflate some coins prices through a coordinated strategy with FTX's sister company, Alameda Research, a New York Times report claimed on Jan. 18. As a way to keep FTX and the companies under its umbrella profitable, Bankman-Fried allegedly approached developers behind projects, insisting that they make their trading debuts on the exchange's platform. Following that, the report claimed that Alameda Research would buy some of these freshly listed coins to raise their value. After attracting projects and using its hedge fund to …
Cryptocurrency lending firm Genesis Global Capital, a subsidiary of crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group, is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy as early as this week. According to a Jan. 18 Bloomberg report, Genesis previously said it was considering a bankruptcy filing if it were unable to raise cash amid a liquidity crunch — a situation similar to that preceding crypto exchange FTX’s Chapter 11 filing in November. Citing people with knowledge of the situation, Bloomberg reported Genesis could file for bankruptcy as soon as this week. The report followed the United States Securities and Exchange Commission announcing on Jan. …
The new management of the bankrupt FTX exchange has identified $5.5 billion in assets that can be used to repay creditors, sparking fears a large swathe of crypto assets could be dumped on markets. On Jan. 17, FTX debtors identified $3.5 billion in crypto assets with $1.6 billion associated with the bankrupt exchange. The best known holdings are Solana's SOL and FTX exchange token FTT, along with liquid assets including XRP, DOGE, Aptos (APT), Polygon (MATIC), TON, and BitDAO (BIT). Liquidators valued the tokens at the time of the bankruptcy petition. Cinneamhain Ventures partner, Adam Cochran, commented: “So liquidators were …
Unregulated crypto exchanges will continue to fall like dominoes post-FTX, with plenty more “meltdowns” to come, warns Shark Tank star and investor Kevin O’Leary. O’Leary, a former spokesperson and proponent for the now-bankrupt FTX exchange, told Kitco anchor David Lin in a Jan. 17 interview that the collapse was just one in a long line of “unregulated exchanges” likely to fail: “If you’re asking me if there’s going to be another meltdown to zero? Absolutely. 100% it’ll happen, and it’ll keep happening over, and over and over again.” Unregulated exchanges are those that aren't subject to regular auditing, aren’t registered …
The debtors behind FTX have identified $5.5 billion in liquid assets but reported a “substantial shortfall of digital assets” at the bankrupt crypto exchange and its U.S. arm. In a Jan. 17 announcement, FTX said it had identified $1.7 billion in cash, $3.5 billion in crypto assets and $0.3 billion in securities following the firm filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November. The debtors added that they had identified roughly $1.6 billion in digital assets associated with FTX.com — including roughly $426 million being held by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas — and $181 million connected to FTX US. …
SkyBridge Capital managing partner Anthony Scaramucci has opened up about the “betrayal” he felt over the actions of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who he said he once considered a “friend.” Speaking at Casper Lab’s Blockchain Hub event in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 16, Scaramucci emphasized that in the aftermath of the FTX debacle, he felt “betrayed” by Bankman-Fried given that he had a close friendship with both him and his family. “I have to tell you that the betrayal and the fraud, its bad on a lot of different levels, it certainly hurt me reputationally, but i’m just talking about …
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 …
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 …
The mining arm of crypto lender Celsius Network has issued a notice for the sale of $1.3 million worth of mining equipment as part of its bankruptcy case. In a Jan. 11 filing with the United States Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York, Celsius said it will be selling 2,687 MicroBT M30S ASIC rigs to investment firm Touzi Capital. Touzi, which invests real estate and blockchain, will pay Celsius Mining more than $1.3 million for the miners, located at a Texas facility. According to Celsius, Touzi made the best offer for the miners following discussions with “several …
FTX’s bankruptcy judge has reportedly slammed the joint letter from four United States senators calling for an independent examiner in the FTX bankruptcy case. As reported by Cointelegraph, the senators sent a letter on Jan. 9 highlighting concerns about the ties between FTX and their legal representative, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. However, in a Jan. 11 hearing, Judge John Dorsey of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware called the letter “inappropriate ex parte communication” which he would not take into account in his decision. “I will make my decisions on the matters based only upon admissible evidence …