FTX’s December Decision Could Be a Game-Changer
Although it seemed that the crypto exchange FTX would not recover after its high-profile collapse in November 2022, its operator is now considering proposals from three bidders to restart its operations. The company had filed for bankruptcy amid allegations of fraud and is expected to decide on its future by mid-December.
Options on the Table for FTX’s Revival
During a recent court hearing, Kevin M. Cofsky, the company’s investment banker from Perella Weinberg Partners, revealed that FTX Trading Ltd. is negotiating potentially binding offers. The options being considered include selling the entire exchange, which boasts a valuable customer list of over 9 million, or partnering with another firm to relaunch the platform. Alternatively, FTX is contemplating rebooting the trading platform independently.
Since its bankruptcy filing last year, FTX has been actively working to raise funds to repay its creditors. According to court documents, the administrators have recovered approximately $7 billion in assets, including $3.4 billion in cryptocurrency.
Andrew Dietderich, the company’s attorney, stated that FTX and its main creditor groups have tentatively settled some of the most challenging disputes. This settlement will enable the company to file a detailed payout plan in December. However, the exact recovery percentage for creditors and customers remains uncertain. What is more, it will partly depend on the value generated from a potential sale or reboot of the exchange.
Bloomberg: FTX is in talks with three bidders to restart FTX and will make a decision by mid-December. Possible options include selling the entire exchange, including its list of 9 million customers, or bringing in a partner to help restart the exchange, while FTX is also…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) October 25, 2023
What Happened to Sam Bankman-Fried?
The company’s founder, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), stepped down as CEO last year amid financial turmoil. He is currently facing trial in New York for allegedly diverting FTX customer funds into another company he controlled. These funds were reportedly used for high-risk trading, political donations, and purchasing expensive properties before both companies went under.
Currently, SBF’s legal team is challenging these allegations, asserting that the investments his company undertook were neither “reckless” nor “frivolous.” This counters the claims made by Nishad Singh, FTX’s former Chief Technology Engineer, who has been testifying in the ongoing fraud trial. Singh, under cross-examination, expressed his belief that FTX could have managed the challenges even after identifying a $13 billion shortfall in customer funds in September 2022.
In a separate hearing, Zac Prince, the CEO of BlockFi, took the stand in the continuing legal battle involving Sam Bankman-Fried. Prince discussed a loss of one billion dollars that his crypto lending company suffered in dealings with Alameda Research and FTX. BlockFi’s association with Alameda Research dates back to between 2020 and 2021. Prince revealed that loan agreements existed between the two firms, and by May 2022, BlockFi had loaned as much as $1 billion to Alameda.