Is Binance The Next FTX?

A deep dive into Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange. We uncover what we believe to be red flags which should give investors and customers serious concerns.

FTX Founder Faces 115 Years in Jail

Sam Bankman-Fried and his company FTX were once the stars of the crypto space but all was not as it seemed. After his fraud was uncovered, he was held up as everything wrong with the financial world. 

We examine the trial of SBF, where the money went and how his ex-girlfriend Caroline Ellison told all.

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.

Listen HERE.

FTX’s collapse - the emotional toll

"After several weeks of powerful testimonies for the prosecution in the FTX trial in New York, you might have thought the strongest ones had come and gone. Not so: this week Nishad Singh, the former head of engineering at the now-collapsed exchange, took the stand and delivered more blows to Bankman-Fried. 

 Like many senior FTX people, he had connections to SBF that go back long before they became famous, then infamous. He was the best friend of Bankman-Fried’s younger brother at high school and shared SBF’s interest in effective altruism. And in common with Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison, also part of Bankman-Fried’s inner circle, Singh said he committed financial crimes and did so in concert with Bankman-Fried.  

 But Singh’s testimony also stands apart from that which came before him by offering a window into the emotional toll this alleged fraud had on Bankman-Fried’s associates."

Read the full story HERE.

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Where Did The Money Go?

Over the course of Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial, the jury has seen evidence and heard testimony about the money circulating through FTX and Alameda. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff break down the prosecution’s case, and trace where the government says the money was coming from and where it went.

Listen HERE.

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: Nishad Singh Speaks Up

Nishad Singh— another critical member of Sam Bankman-Fried’s inner circle— testified Monday saying FTX customer money was used to fund political donations and that he pushed back on Bankman-Fried’s spending on celebrities. Rachel Humphreys and Caitlin Ostroff unpack his testimony and discuss a medical issue Bankman-Fried raised to the judge.

Listen 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: The First Key Witness

Gary Wang, FTX’s former chief technology officer, took the stand in the government’s case against Sam Bankman-Fried. Producer Rachel Humphreys and WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff discuss what Wang says he knows about the secret code that allowed Alameda Research to borrow billions of dollars of customer money from FTX.

Listen HERE - The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy: The First Key Witness

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

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy, Episode 2: Imaginary Numbers - The Journal

In 2022, crypto markets were in turmoil, but Sam Bankman-Fried's empire seemed to weather it all. That is until one week in November, when he went from crypto's savior to its biggest villain. WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff tracks the unprecedented collapse of Bankman Fried’s empire, and the big secret that would prove to be its downfall.

Listen HERE - The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy, Episode 2: Imaginary Numbers

The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy, Episode 1: The Limit Does Not Exist - The Journal

Before his downfall, Sam Bankman-Fried drew comparisons to Warren Buffett, J.P. Morgan and other titans of finance. As his trial approaches, WSJ’s Caitlin Ostroff charts the meteoric rise of crypto’s golden boy, exploring how he sold customers and powerful people on his ideas, while hiding secrets under the hood of his flashy crypto empire.

Listen HERE - The Trial of Crypto’s Golden Boy, Episode 1: The Limit Does Not Exist

How Involved Were SBF's Parents?

FTX has sued Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, the parents of Sam Bankman-Fried, claiming they enriched themselves by siphoning off millions of dollars in “fraudulently transferred and misappropriated funds” from the cryptocurrency exchange their son founded. 

In a court filing earlier this week, the FTX debtors said Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, both of whom are tenured professors at Stanford Law School, used their influence to funnel money from the business to themselves and their pet charitable causes. 

Bankman, a tax lawyer, also lavished gifts upon his friends and family using FTX funds, they alleged, including, flights and tickets to the Formula One Grand Prix in France. 

Fried used her influence to obtain millions of dollars in donations from Bankman-Fried and an associate for Mind the Gap, a Super Pac she co-founded to help Democrats win office in the 2020 US election cycle. She further pressured “certain FTX Insiders to unlawfully avoid (if not violate) federal campaign finance law”, the debtors allege.

The Fake Genius: a $30 BILLION Fraud

Sam Bankman-Fried was supposed to be a billionaire genius running the world's largest Crypto exchange: FTX. In only a few weeks, his $32B empire crumbled, leading to his arrest. In this video, we unravel one of the decade's most significant cases of financial fraud.

FTX Bankruptcy Explained!

FTX: the legend of Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried's cryptocurrency exchange, exploded onto the scene in just a few years. Endorsed by celebrities and accepted by the establishment, it attracted big-name investors and was valued at $32bn before it collapsed in a matter of days. Regulators fell for it, venture capitalists fell for it, celebrities fell for it - everyone fell for the legend of Sam

FTX wants politicians and PACs to return their donations

FTX and its affiliated debtors have sent confidential letters asking politicians, PACs and other recipients of funds to return donations made by the crypto exchange once valued at $32 billion.

The recipients are being asked to return donations — or potentially face repercussions — to the now-bankrupt exchange, according to a Sunday statement from FTX.

Get all the details HERE.