Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao Pleads Guilty: How We Got Here - What Went Wrong

Binance skirted regulation to become the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Now, the company has pleaded guilty in the U.S. and agreed to pay $4.3 billion in fines. Here’s how the same strategy behind the company’s rise brought it crashing down.

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Guilty On All Counts

A jury convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried of stealing billions of dollars from customers and lenders, in what prosecutors called one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff were inside the courtroom for the verdict.

Listen HERE.

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried - Guilty!

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s spectacular rise and fall in the cryptocurrency industry — a journey that included his testimony before Congress, a Super Bowl advertisement and dreams of a future run for president — hit rock bottom Thursday when a New York jury convicted him of fraud for stealing at least $10 billion from customer and investors.

Read about it HERE.

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Closing Arguments

Both the prosecution and the defense make their final pitches to the jury as FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial comes to a close. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff unpack closing arguments and look ahead to the trial’s conclusion.

Listen HERE.

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: The Government Grills SBF

Prosecutors have started to cross examine Sam Bankman-Fried on the witness stand. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff explore the competing narratives being painted by the government and the defense.

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The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Things Sam Is Testifying About

With the jury in attendance, Sam Bankman-Fried took the stand to testify in his defense. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff break down where his story of the FTX collapse has differed from the testimony of his former colleagues Caroline Ellison and Nishad Singh.

Listen HERE.

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Bankman-Fried Testifies

After a short break, court is back in session as Sam Bankman-Fried takes the stand to testify in his defense. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff were inside the courtroom to hear some of Bankman-Fried’s side of the story and how the prosecution worked to pick it apart.

Get the full story HERE.

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Cross Examining Caroline Ellison

Caroline Ellison took the stand for a third day as attorneys for Sam Bankman-Fried questioned her about her role in the collapse of FTX and Alameda Research. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff caught up with WSJ’s James Fanelli after court to unpack the defense’s strategy.

Listen HERE.

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Caroline Ellison Back on the Stand

Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda, took the stand for a second day Wednesday. Producer Rachel Humphreys and WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff discuss Ellison’s testimony and what it revealed about alleged bribes to Chinese officials, misleading statements to investors, and the final days of FTX.

Listen HERE

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Caroline Ellison Speaks

Caroline Ellison met Sam Bankman-Fried trading at Jane Street. The two would go on to have a close professional and personal relationship as his crypto empire grew and then eventually imploded. Now, she has pleaded guilty and is testifying against him. Producer Rachel Humphreys and WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff discuss her testimony and how the government is using it to build their case against Bankman-Fried.

Listen HERE - The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Caroline Ellison Speaks

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Opening Arguments

With a jury selected, lawyers from the prosecution and defense make their opening statements. Rachel Humphreys and WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff get their first clues into some of the strategies that will unfold throughout the trial.

Listen HERE - The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Opening Arguments

Death of the NFT

There is some bad news for NFT fans. The digital collectibles are pretty much worthless now.

Using data from NFT Scan, the crypto platform dappGambl found that 95% of the 73,257 non-fungible token collections (e.g., Bored Ape Yacht Club) it analyzed are worth 0 ether. In other words, if NFTs were physical objects, it’d be time to put them on the same garage shelf where your Beanie Babies went to die. The report estimates that 23 million people are now the owners of worthless digital files. The crash is mainly for one reason: There just isn’t enough demand to keep up with supply.

(Culled from the MORNING BREW)

What's the future of crypto?

The financial revolution once promised by cryptocurrencies has been knocked off course by regulators and allegations of fraud. 

So what does the future hold for crypto?