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Sam Bankman-Fried Claims FTX Was ‘Never Insolvent’ — Here’s What Happened In His View
Yahoo Finance· 2025-10-31 06:15
Core Viewpoint - Sam Bankman-Fried asserts that FTX had sufficient assets to repay customers, claiming the exchange experienced a liquidity crunch rather than a true insolvency, with recoveries supporting his argument [1][2]. Group 1: Financial Position and Customer Repayments - FTX owed $8 billion to customers at the time of its bankruptcy in November 2022, and Bankman-Fried claims that customers will receive between 119% and 143% of their owed amounts, with approximately 98% already repaid at 120% [1]. - The estate reportedly still holds around $8 billion after covering $8 billion in claims and $1 billion in legal fees, indicating that FTX was never insolvent [1][3]. Group 2: Nature of the Collapse - The collapse of FTX is characterized as a classic bank run, triggered by panic withdrawals that led to billions in withdrawals within days, while the company was seeking asset sales and financing [2]. - Bankman-Fried's team argues that FTX and Alameda's assets exceeded liabilities from 2021 through mid-2022, contradicting early statements from the bankruptcy team regarding shortfalls [3]. Group 3: Asset Valuation and Liquidation - Bankman-Fried's camp highlights that asset sales were poorly timed, with stakes in tokens and private companies like Solana, Sui, and Anthropic having significantly higher estimated values today [4]. - The criticism is directed towards the dollarized payouts to creditors, which are based on the US dollar value of crypto as of November 11, 2022, denying customers the benefits of subsequent market rallies [5]. Group 4: Historical Context - FTX was once valued at over $30 billion and had more than a million users before its rapid decline, which was precipitated by revelations of intertwined risks with Alameda, a surge in withdrawals, and a failed rescue attempt [6].