麻豆影视

Skip to main content

What's happening at bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX?

The FTX logo appears on a home plate umpire's jacket at an MLB game, Sept. 27, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn) The FTX logo appears on a home plate umpire's jacket at an MLB game, Sept. 27, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Share

The imploding cryptocurrency trading firm FTX is now short billions of dollars after experiencing the crypto equivalent of a bank run.

The exchange, formerly one of the world's largest, sought bankruptcy protection last week, and its CEO and founder resigned. Hours later, the trading firm said there had been 鈥渦nauthorized access鈥 and that funds had disappeared. Analysts say hundreds of millions of dollars may have vanished.

The unraveling of the once-giant exchange is sending shockwaves through the industry. Here's a look at the company's collapse so far:

WHY DID FTX GO BANKRUPT?

Customers fled the exchange over fears about whether FTX had sufficient capital, and it agreed to sell itself to rival crypto exchange Binance. But the deal fell through while Binance鈥檚 due diligence on FTX鈥檚 balance sheet was still pending.

FTX had valued its assets between US$10 billion to US$50 billion, and listed more than 130 affiliated companies around the world, according to its bankruptcy filing.

FTX and dozens of affiliated companies 鈥 including founder Sam Bankman-Fried's hedge fund, Alameda Research 鈥 filed the bankruptcy petition in Delaware on Friday.

The week鈥檚 developments marked a shocking turn of events for Bankman-Fried, who was hailed as somewhat of a savior earlier this year when he helped shore up a number of cryptocurrency companies that ran into financial trouble. He was recently estimated to be worth US$23 billion and has been a prominent political donor to Democrats.

WAS IT HACKED, TOO?

FTX confirmed Saturday there had been unauthorized access to its accounts, hours after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

A debate formed on social media about whether the exchange was hacked or a company insider had stolen funds 鈥 a possibility that cryptocurrency analysts couldn鈥檛 rule out.

Exactly how much money is involved is unclear, but analytics firm Elliptic estimated Saturday that $477 million was missing from the exchange. FTX's new CEO John Ray III said it was switching off the ability to trade or withdraw funds and taking steps to secure customers鈥 assets.

IS MY BITCOIN SAFE?

People who own bitcoin should be OK if they keep them off exchanges such as FTX that effectively work as a 鈥渃rypto-casino gambling website,鈥 said Cory Klippsten, the CEO of financial services firm Swan Bitcoin.

鈥淎ny exchange is a security risk," said Klippsten. Some are more reputable than others, but he said a better option is to take control of your digital assets. 鈥淲ith bitcoin, you have the option to take self-custody and take your coins off the exchange,鈥 he said.

IS FTX UNDER INVESTIGATION?

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said Sunday it is investigating FTX, adding to the company鈥檚 woes. The police force said in a statement Sunday it was working with Bahamas securities regulators to 鈥渋nvestigate if any criminal misconduct occurred鈥 involving the exchange, which had moved its headquarters to the Caribbean country last year.

IS ANYONE ELSE INVESTIGATING?

Even before the bankruptcy filing and missing funds, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission began examining FTX to determine whether any criminal activity or securities offences were committed, according to a person familiar with matter who spoke to The Associated Press last week on condition of anonymity because they could not discuss details of the investigations publicly.

WHAT ARE THE REPERCUSSIONS?

Companies that backed FTX are writing down investments, and the prices of bitcoin and other digital currencies have fallen. Politicians and regulators are calling for stricter oversight of the unwieldy industry. FTX said Saturday that it was moving as many digital assets as can be identified to a new 鈥渃old wallet custodian,鈥 which is essentially a way of storing assets offline without allowing remote control.

FTX had entered into a number of sports-related deals, some of which are crumbling. The NBA's Miami Heat and Miami-Dade County decided Friday to terminate their relationship with FTX, and will rename the team's arena. Earlier Friday, Mercedes said it would immediately remove FTX logos from its Formula One cars.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Police say that they are investigating an apparent road rage incident in North York that may have involved gunfire.

Lawyers representing the Ontario man accused of selling hundreds of suicide kits with deadly effect around the globe have filed to intervene in a case in Canada鈥檚 highest court, arguing there is no way he can be charged with murder under Canadian law.

Local Spotlight

A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.

Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.

A gargantuan gourd 鈥 affectionately named 鈥極rangina鈥 by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home 鈥 earned the massive honour of being named B.C.鈥檚 heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

Stay Connected