Heroes to zeroes in 12 months: How the two biggest crypto billionaire CEOs proved the critics right
Combination showing Former FTX CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (L) and Zhao Changpeng (R), founder and chief executive officer of Binance.
Getty Images | Reuters
After a brutal 18 months of bankruptcies, company failures and criminal trials, the crypto market is starting to claw back some of its former standing.
Bitcoin is up more than 150% this year. Meanwhile, Solana is nearly 10x higher in the last 12 months, and bitcoin miner Marathon Digital has also skyrocketed. Crypto-pegged stocks like Coinbase, MicroStrategy and the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust rose more than 300% in value year-to-date.
But even as prices swell, the sector’s reputation has struggled to regain ground after names virtually synonymous with bitcoin have both been found guilty of crimes directly related to their multibillion-dollar crypto empires.
For years, Binance’s Changpeng Zhao and FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried preached the power of decentralized, digital currencies to the masses. Both were bitcoin billionaires who ran their own global cryptocurrency exchanges and spent much of their professional career selling the public on a new, tech-powered world order; one where an alternative financial system comprised of borderless virtual coins would liberate the oppressed by eliminating middlemen like banks and the over-reach of the government.
Yet they both, in the end, helped crypto critics and regulators make the case that some of them had been right all along; that the industry was rife with grifters and fraudsters intent on using new tech to carry out age-old crimes.
Even when the crypto market was at its hottest, as token prices hit all-time highs in Oct. 2021, some of the biggest names in business and politics shared their doubts.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in 2021 at peak crypto valuations that bitcoin was “worthless,” and he doubled down on that sentiment earlier this year when he said that the digital currency was a “hyped-up fraud.” Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said in 2018 that he would short bitcoin if he could, adding that cryptocurrencies are “kind of a pure ‘greater fool theory’ type of investment.” Legendary investor Warren Buffett said he wouldn’t buy all of the bitcoin in the world for $25, because “it doesn’t produce anything,” and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has long been one of crypto’s greatest naysayers on Capitol Hill.
Rather than ushering in a new era of financial freedom, Zhao and Bankman-Fried were found guilty on a mix of charges including fraud and money laundering. Once the two biggest names in crypto, the sector’s greatest proponents now face jail time.
Bankman-Fried, 31, could be sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of seven criminal counts in early November, including charges related to stealing billions of dollars from FTX’s customers. Less than three weeks after Bankman-Fried’s conviction, Zhao pleaded guilty to criminal charges and stepped down as Binance’s CEO as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the Department of Justice.
Their crimes varied, but ultimately, both crypto execs went from industry titans to convicted frauds in the span of 12 months, and it was, in part, the bitter feud between them that landed them there.
“They were both responsible for behavior that has kept a black eye on crypto and its association with criminal behavior,” said Renato Mariotti, a former prosecutor in the U.S. Justice Department’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Section.
The early days
Zhao and Bankman-Fried were friends at first, before they became one another’s chief rival.
CZ, as Zhao is also known, had been first to the space. After a stint as the chief technology officer of a centralized crypto exchange called OKCoin, he launched a spot exchange of his own in 2017 called Binance, which has since become the largest cryptocurrency trading platform in the world, by volume.
That same year, Bankman-Fried earned street cred in crypto circles for his bitcoin arbitrage trading strategy, dubbed the Kimchi swap.
While the price of bitcoin today is relatively standard across the world’s exchanges, six years ago, the price differential would sometimes vary by more than 50%. This kind of arbitrage-based strategy, though relatively straightforward, wasn’t the easiest thing to execute on crypto rails back then, since it involved setting up connections to each one of the trading platforms.
To scale the operation, Bankman-Fried launched his own quantitative crypto hedge fund, Alameda Research. But what really put him on the map, according to Bankman-Fried, was CZ himself.
Just after Bankman-Fried moved his business to Hong Kong at the end of 2018, he met CZ for the first time after contributing $150,000 to co-sponsor a Binance conference in Singapore. One of the perks of that donation was a slot onstage with the Binance chief.
According to author Michael Lewis, whose book profiling Bankman-Fried was published the day the former FTX CEO’s criminal trial began in October, Bankman-Fried said this appearance is what gave him “legitimacy in crypto.”
The pair, according to Lewis’s reporting, were nothing alike in business or in personal dealings.
“Sam was gunning to build an exchange for big institutional crypto traders; CZ was all about pitching to retail and the little guy,” Lewis wrote, adding, “Sam hated conflict and so was almost weirdly quick to forget grievances; CZ thrived on conflict and nurtured the emotions that led to it.”
The relationship between Zhao and Bankman-Fried began to sour a few months after they met.
In March 2019, CZ passed on paying Bankman-Fried $40 million to buy the futures crypto exchange that SBF had designed with his team, instead building a version of the same platform in-house. A month later, Bankman-Fried and a few others founded FTX.com, a first-of-its-kind futures trading exchange with a flashy new liquidation engine and features which catered to large-scale institutional clients. Binance was the first outside investor in FTX, funding a Series A round in 2019. As part of that arrangement, Binance took on a long-term position in FTX’s native token, FTT, which was created to give perks to customers.
FTX’s success begat a $2 billion venture fund that seeded other crypto firms. Bankman-Fried’s personal wealth grew to around $26 billion at its peak, and FTX reached a valuation of $32 billion before it all came crashing down.
As crypto prices ran up in 2021, Bankman-Fried’s reputation did the same. Suddenly, the wunderkind was praised by the press as the poster boy for crypto everywhere.
The FTX logo adorned everything from Formula One race cars to a Miami basketball arena. Bankman-Fried went on an endless press tour, bragged about having a balance sheet that could one day buy Goldman Sachs, and became a fixture in Washington, where he was one of the Democratic Party’s top donors, promising to sink $1 billion into U.S. political races before later backtracking. Bankman-Fried wielded some of that political influence to cast shade on Zhao and Binance’s dealing.
At the same time, CZ’s influence continued to grow, as did Binance’s market dominance. With assets of more than $65 billion on the platform, it processed billions of dollars in trading volume every year.
As the two grew to be formidable opponents, FTX opted to buy out Binance in 2021 with a combination of FTT and other coins, according to Zhao.
But much of Bankman-Fried’s empire was a mirage, while Zhao’s operation was laced with questionable business tactics under the hood. What ultimately exposed the grift at the two exchanges was the rivalry between the crypto bosses.
Battle of the titans rocks crypto
As crypto prices tanked in 2022 and a cascade of bankruptcies rocked confidence in the sector, Bankman-Fried boasted that he and his enterprise were immune. But in fact, the industry-wide wipeout hit his operation quite hard.
Alameda borrowed money to invest in failing digital asset firms in the spring and summer of 2022 to keep the industry afloat, then reportedly siphoned off FTX customers’ deposits to stave off margin calls and meet immediate debt obligations.
In Nov. 2022, a fight between Bankman-Fried and CZ on Twitter, now known as X, pulled the mask off the scheme.
Zhao dropped the hammer with a tweet saying that because of “recent revelations that have came [sic] to light, we have decided to liquidate any remaining FTT on our books.”
The threat led to a panic-led sell-off of the FTT token. As the price of the coin plummeted by over 75%, so too did confidence in the platform. FTX executives scrambled to contain the damage, but customers proceeded to pull billions of dollars off the exchange. Zhao, who swooped in and agreed to buy FTX in a fire sale, backed out of the deal after one day’s worth of due diligence, and the company spiraled into bankruptcy.
As outsiders got a look at FTX’s actual books for the first time, the fraud became clear: Bankman-Fried and other leaders at FTX had taken billions of dollars in customer money.
In fact, during the criminal trial of Bankman-Fried, both the prosecution and defense agreed that $10 billion in customer money that was sitting in FTX’s crypto exchange went missing, with some of it going toward payments for real estate, recalled loans, venture investments and political donations. They also agreed that Bankman-Fried was the one calling the shots.
The key question for jurors was one of intent: Did Bankman-Fried knowingly commit fraud in directing those payouts with FTX customer cash, or did he simply make some mistakes along the way? Jurors decided within a few hours of deliberation that he had knowingly committed fraud on a mass scale.
The government’s beef with Zhao and Binance was different.
Three criminal charges were brought against the exchange, including conducting an unlicensed money-transmitting business, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and conspiracy. Binance has agreed to forfeit $2.5 billion to the government, as well as to pay a fine of $1.8 billion, for crimes which included allowing illicit actors to make more than 100,000 transactions that supported activities such as terrorism and illegal narcotics.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press conference on Nov. 21 that the fine is “one of the largest penalties we have ever obtained.”
“Using new technology to break the law does not make you a disruptor; it makes you a criminal,” Garland said.
The $4.3 billion settlement and plea arrangement with the U.S. government, including the Department of Justice, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Treasury Department, resolves a multiyear investigation into the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. The Securities and Exchange Commission, however, was notably absent.
Zhao and others were also charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to implement an effective anti-money-laundering program and for willfully violating U.S. economic sanctions “in a deliberate and calculated effort to profit from the U.S. market without implementing controls required by U.S. law,” according to the Justice Department. The DOJ is recommending that the court impose a $50 million fine on Zhao.
In the meantime, CZ has been released on a $175 million personal recognizance bond secured by $15 million in cash and has a sentencing hearing scheduled for Feb. 23. Bankman-Fried faces a sentencing hearing on March 28.
Indicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves the U.S. Courthouse in New York City, July 26, 2023.
Amr Alfiky | Reuters
Winning the war
Legal experts tell CNBC that one critical distinction in the case of Zhao versus Bankman-Fried is the success of their respective enterprises.
“One key difference between CZ and SBF that should not be underestimated is that CZ ran a company that remains highly profitable and solvent,” said Mariotti. He added, “Binance has a war chest that it could use to pay hefty fines and provide leverage that gave the DOJ and CFTC a reason to settle.”
Binance will continue to operate but with new ground rules, per the settlement. The company will be required to maintain and enhance its compliance program to ensure its business is in line with U.S. anti-money-laundering standards. The company is also required to appoint an independent compliance monitor.
FTX, on the other hand, remains in bankruptcy court in Delaware as it looks to claw back cash in an attempt to make the exchange’s former investors and customers whole.
“Several factors may play into the outcome of CZ and why his guilty plea may have him spending minimal, if not any, time in prison versus SBF’s likely lengthy, if not life, sentence behind bars,” Braden Perry, who was once a senior trial lawyer for the CFTC, FTX’s only official U.S. regulator, told CNBC.
Perry said that the connection with foreign crime, including money laundering and breaching international financial sanctions, was key to Binance’s undoing. There was, however, no pursuit of criminal fraud of its customers’ money — a key distinction from the case of Bankman-Fried.
Another thing in Zhao’s corner: his willingness to cooperate with the government.
Any time the Justice Department pursues a criminal prosecution or the SEC brings a civil enforcement action against a defendant, they will consider the cooperation of the defendant, according to Richard Levin, a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, where he chairs the fintech and regulation practice.
While CZ faces considerably less time in prison, Mariotti points out that despite the Binance founder’s significant fortune, he will still take a financial hit from the U.S. government.
“In the end, neither CZ nor SBF won,” said Mariotti, adding, “Leaders within the crypto community have seen what can happen, and perhaps the fall of these crypto ‘titans’ will signal smoother times ahead. But the continued lack of regulatory clarity and regulation through enforcement has not helped those looking for guidance on crypto compliance.”
Even as the dust settles, some of the companies still standing have struggled to stay afloat after venture capital dollars sought safer shores in startups geared toward generative artificial intelligence.
But a turnaround in token prices and crypto-pegged stocks has begun to buoy investor sentiment.
Traders are also increasingly bullish that the SEC will begin approving applications for a new spot bitcoin ETF, launched by leaders in traditional finance, by the first quarter of 2024. This type of exchange-traded fund would allow investors to buy into digital currency directly, through the same mechanism they already used to buy stock and bond ETFs.
Top asset managers, including BlackRock, WisdomTree and Invesco have all filed applications. A note from Bernstein says that, if approved, this will be the “largest pipe ever built between traditional financial markets and crypto financial markets.”
The California Air Resource Board (CARB) has withdrawn its request to enact the proposed Advanced Clean Fleets rule, which required fleets that are “well-suited for electrification” to reduce emissions through the phase-in of Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) and the banning of commercial diesel sales after 2035.
The state of California submitted its Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) request to the EPA, which would have required trucking fleets in the state to transition to zero-emission vehicles beginning last year, in November of 2023, spurring a number of drayage fleets and port operators to accelerate their adoption of electric trucks and encouraging manufacturers to route the bulk of their BEV manufacturing capacity to California.
As the sun sets on the environmentally friendly Biden Administration, however, CARB is backing away from a fight with the incoming Trump Administration to enforce its state’s rights to enact emissions standards that are more strict than the federal regulations.
“Frankly, given that the Trump administration has not been publicly supportive of some of the strategies that we have deployed in these regulations, we thought it would be prudent to pull back and consider our options,” CARB chair Liane Randolph said in an interview. “The withdrawal is an important step given the uncertainty presented by the incoming administration that previously attacked California’s programs to protect public health and the climate and has said will continue to oppose those programs.”
The EPA has acknowledged the withdrawal of the state’s waiver request, which effectively delays implementation of CARB’s ACF rule for at least four years, contingent on the state’s maintaining its beliefe that it requires a waiver to enact a regulation that isn’t strictly an emissions standard. California governor Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, intends to continue to push for ZEV adoption in the state with a number of state-level incentives to promote further decarbonization.
Here’s hoping the BEVs and ZEVs have better luck next round.
Electrek’s Take
While some may celebrate the delay of the Advanced Clean Fleets rule, their celebrations will undoubtedly prove to be myopic and short-lived. The reality is that America is no longer the world leader in technology or transportation that backward organizations like the American Trucking Association believe it to be, and the fact is that delaying a transition to cleaner, more efficient technology will only put the US further behind its economic rivals in Asia and the Middle East.
Even before this Pyrrhic victory for American truck brands that have been slow to push BEVs into production, demand for diesel was at a generational low, and companies like Volvo, Renault, and Mercedes-Benz have been logging millions of electric miles on their deployed trucking fleets.
All of which is to say: if you thought it was going to be hard for American brands to catch up before, it’s going to be even harder now.
SOURCES | IMAGES: ACT News, Overdrive; Reuters.
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In an official announcement released at 8:15PM last night, Walmart-backed electric van company Canoo filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 7 of the US Bankruptcy Code and will cease operations immediately.
Despite some early signs of promise with pilot programs at the USPS, US Army, and even a highly-publicized collaboration with NASA, the electric van company either failed to find a place in the market, failed to get enough vehicles produced to meet demand, or just failed to deliver in general. Regardless, the chapter 7 filing seems to be the end of the road for Canoo.
“We would like to thank the company’s employees for their dedication and hard work,” said Tony Aquila, Canoo CEO and one of the company’s largest investors (according to the press release). “We know that you believed in our company as we did. We are truly disappointed that things turned out as they did. We would also like to thank NASA, the Department of Defense, The United States Postal Service (‘USPS’), the State of Oklahoma and Walmart for their belief in our products and our company. This means a lot to everyone in the company.”
As a result of the chapter 7 filing, Canoo will cease operations effective immediately, 8:15PM on 17JAN2025. The next step in the company’s dissolution will see a court-appointed trustee manage the liquidation of the company’s remaining assets.
Electrek’s Take
Rumors fueled by outspoken former employees of Canoo began circling late last year, with furloughed employees urging Oklahoma state leaders to “hold the electric vehicle company accountable” after it shuttered the OK production line that had received more than $100 million in state incentives.
The same employee claims that the company was being wildly mismanaged, and that what few Canoo vehicles the company said it had built in the Oklahoma plant were actually built in Texas, and that no vehicles were actually ever built in OK. “Nothing was functioning,” the unnamed employee said, speaking to local news channel KFOR. “There was no, there was not one robotics line that actually worked to fabricate a part.”
You could argue that the employees should also be held accountable for happily collecting paychecks without actually producing anything this whole time, but that’s a conversation for another day. For now, I’ll be mourning the loss of what could have been a fun little domestic off-roader, and hoping Canoo’s employees find a soft landing and better jobs elsewhere.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Canoo; KFOR.
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $1.2 billion in financing to replace Puerto Rico’s fossil fuel plants with solar and battery storage through 2032.
The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced two conditional commitments and one loan closing to power producers in Puerto Rico. Each supports a project contracted with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The announcements include:
- The closing of a $584.5 million loan guarantee to subsidiaries of Convergent Energy to finance a 100 MW solar farm with a 55 MW (55 MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) in the municipality of Coamo and BESS installations in the municipalities of Caguas (25MW/100MWh), Peñuelas (100MW/400MWh), and Ponce (up to 100MW/400MWh)
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $133.6 million to a subsidiary of Infinigen for a 32.1 MW solar farm with an integrated 14.45 MW (4.76 MWh) BESS, and a co-located standalone 50 MW (200 MWh) BESS expansion in the municipality of Yabucoa
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $489.4 million to a subsidiary of Pattern Energy for three stand-alone BESS in the municipalities of Arecibo (50 MW/200 MWh), and Santa Isabel (50 MW /200 MWh and 80 MW/320 MW), and a 70 MW solar farm with an integrated BESS in the municipality of Arecibo.
If all are finalized, these projects would more than double LPO’s support for utility-scale solar generation and battery energy storage in Puerto Rico.
LPO provides low-cost financing and a rigorous due diligence process, making it a valuable resource for Puerto Rico as it works to rebuild an affordable, reliable, and clean energy system. As a result of reliance on imported fuel, the persistent threat of tropical storms, and underinvested infrastructure, Puerto Ricans today face average energy costs that are twice the US average – all while consuming only one-quarter of the energy of the US per capita.
LPO’s initial loan to a power producer in Puerto Rico, Project Marahu, closed in October 2024, and when complete will add more than 200 MW of solar and up to 285 MW of stand-alone energy storage to Puerto Rico’s grid.
Through its September 2023 partial loan guarantee to Project Hestia, LPO also supports virtual power plant (VPP)-ready rooftop solar and battery storage installations in Puerto Rico. As a nationwide project, Hestia’s sponsor is committed to at least 20% of installations under Project Hestia going to homeowners in Puerto Rico.
As part of its procurement plan, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority seeks to install 1,500 MW of battery storage and requires a minimum capacity of storage to be co-located with each utility-scale solar project. Energy storage systems currently online in Puerto Rico are being dispatched every day.
When including Marahu, LPO’s closed and conditionally committed financing supports over 100% of the capacity Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority aimed to procure under its initial request for energy storage project proposals, the first of six.
Read more: Cleantech investments to top fossil fuels for the first time in 2025
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