Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX Loses to CZ As Binance Considers Purchasing Rival

What a difference 24 hours makes in crypto. On Monday FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) and Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) were feuding on twitter about FTX’s solvency. And 24 hours later SBF is asking CZ to buy FTX.

It was an unexpected twist in the feud of 2 of the largest crypto exchanges. How did we get here and what happens now?

CZ Questions FTX’s Liquidity

In a tweet on Sunday, CZ mentioned selling some of his $FTT holdings as part of standard ‘risk management’. Binance came into possession of FTX’s token when they exited their position from being an initial investor in FTX.

However, underlying this tweet is a week of rumors that FTX and SBF’s asset trading firm, Alameda Research, were facing a liquidity crunch. A Nov 2nd Coindesk report stated that much of Alameda’s assets were $FTT tokens. With SBF at the head of both companies, it appeared as if the books were being inflated.

Additionally, there had been massive outflows from the FTX exchange. And speculation was that Alameda and FTX were trading the $FTT token back and forth to create the appearance of demand to keep prices up to plug the balance sheet.

After a nearly $600 million transfer of $FTT from an unknown wallet to Binance was flagged, CZ confirmed it was Binance exiting part of its position. In his tweet replies CZ implied that Binance’s selling of $FTT was to apply the lessons learned from the Luna catastrophe. To which some interpreted to imply FTX was facing a blow-up.

Luna/Terra defaulted earlier this year leading to ripple effects across the industry. Three Arrow Capital (3AC) crypto fund, Voyager, and Celsius all went bankrupt. And Luna’s CEO Do Kwon is on the run with an interpol red notice out for his arrest. Quite an implication to make.

SBF, fresh off his ill-received paper on more regulation of the crypto industry, responded to ‘unfounded rumors’ and assured everyone that everything was fine.

In now deleted tweets (thanks lawyers), SBF said “FTX is fine. Assets are fine.” And “FTX has enough to cover all client holdings,” also “We don’t invest in client assets (even in Treasurys). We have been processing all withdrawals, and will continue to be.”

SBF ensured FTX had ample assets to cover all withdrawal requests in a now deleted tweet.

FTX’s Token $FTT Trades Down Massively

There wasn’t much time between SBF’s reassurances and $FTT starting to trade down. After it was clear that over a billion dollars was withdrawn from FTX, the token was down massively.

FTT stock price chart

The lowered $FTT price would have an impact on Alameda’s finances as much of its assets were in the FTX token. Additionally, there were calls for FTX and Alameda to completely sever ties and create 2 separate and walled off entities. If Alameda was trading in a way that impacted either FTX or FTX’s customer confidence, it would be a bigger cost to keep it than let FTX be on its own.

However, all the plans for fixes to FTX were fairly short lived, as Binance announce an intent to purchase FTX.

Binance Enters Into Potential Purchase Agreement with FTX

In a surprising twist, CZ announced on twitter that Binance had reached a decision to enter into a non-binding LOI (letter of intent) to purchase FTX. The decision is based on the results of a full due-diligence investigation over the coming days.

CZ notes that Binance has full discretion to pull out of the deal at any time. Binance is the world’s largest crypto exchange, valued over $300 billion vs FTX which got a $32 billion valuation in a Series C round of funding at the beginning of the year.

In his letter to shareholders, SBF ensured everyone would be able to withdraw their assets and that is part of the reason him and CZ decided to ‘team up’.

Long-Term impact of FTX Crises

It is expected that this very public and big blow-up will only further lead to calls of regulation of the crypto industry. Spokesperson of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) confirmed US regulators were monitoring the FTX situation.

Additionally, there is trepidation about contagion risk if Alameda and/or FTX do blow up. When protocols and firms are making loans and locking tokens into illiquid protocols for yield, it can cause a negative flywheel.

The first order relationships were all down today with the broader crypto market being down as well as the SBF-tied Robinhood stock and Coinbase stock also being down double digits.

If CZ decides to walk away from the acquisition after his due diligence, it could be painful for the entire industry. There is ample speculation that, if the rumors of the self-dealing between Alameda and FTX are true, that CZ wouldn’t want to step in. Until then, we wait.

Photo of author

Written By BowTied Effer

Finance, Fitness, Family, and Fixing Bad Advice from a Father

Disclosure

This article may contain links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes. BowTiedIsland may receive a commission at no cost to you if you purchase a product after clicking one of these links. The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of BowTiedIsland, and BowTiedIsland is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site. All information contained herein is the opinion of the writer and does not constitute financial advice. We aim to act as a neutral third party and aid in your research and analysis.


The Jungle


Crypto, Investing, and E-Commerce with BowTied Bull

The future is internet based, therefore we have a triangle based approach with crypto, e-commerce business making and Investing in traditional assets

The Culture War with BowTiedRanger

Whether you’re a political junkie or just interested in current events. 

You’ve come to the right place for analysis of the most relevant current events and political issues.

Fitness With BowTiedOx

BowTiedOx provides you a place to find all of his latest programs and guides.

Weekly newsletters that cover fitness, health, and mindset, all grounded in the fundamentals of physiology.

Media Production with BowTied Turkey and BowTied Tamarin

Video is no longer optional.

Don’t get left behind.

Your brand deserves professional videos to engage your audience.

Art & Graphic Design with BowTied Patriot

BowTied Patriot is a graphic artist who specializes in photography, mixed medium custom artwork, and NFT creation.

Join BowTiedPatriot as he dives into making Art in Web3.0 and The Metaverse.

Cooking with BowTiedOctopod

Learn secrets from a fine dining chef for maximum flavor and time-saving efficiency

Newsletters on Ingredients, Techniques and Flavor hacks that will have you eating better. We will never eat bugs!

Meme Warfare with DgenFren

Increase your online engagement, organically influence narratives, and build your online persona by using marketing that your target audience actually wants: memes.

Learn How to Sell with BowTiedSalesGuy

Sales is one of the most transferrable life skills, yet few know how to actually sell.

Traditional sales tactics don’t cut it in today’s hyper competitive world.

Learn the secrets from a Chad Salesman and change your Life forever.

Ecommerce with BowTiedOpossum

Learn the skills to start and build your first online business.

Want to build a business that travels with you?

Learn from an industry veteran that has worked on and with brands you already know.