Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of FTX, discusses his views on crypto regulation, macroeconomics, and the role of FTX in a decentralized industry.
Show highlights:
whether the market has already bottomed and the influence of macroeconomics
why Sam thinks regulation could have a significant impact on the crypto industry
the impact of the Terra collapse, Sam’s thoughts on stablecoins, and the importance of disclaimers
what the industry can do to prevent high leverage from crypto companies like Three Arrows Capital
how crypto lenders should manage risk in a sustainable way
whether the crypto collapses affected the opinion of lawmakers and regulators
the topics and proposals that Sam is discussing with regulators and his philosophy on financial regulation
what Sam thinks about building a centralized entity in a decentralized space
what it would take for FTX to move back to the United States
why Sam’s political donations more commonly support Democrats, among which are some prominent critics of crypto
whether he makes political donations based solely on candidates’ crypto stances
the role of FTX in the TradFi market and whether crypto and TradFi will evolve toward or away from each other
concerns about potential conflict of interests between FTX and Alameda Research
the impact of the Merge, the value proposition of Ethereum and whether it affects the narrative of Bitcoin as digital gold
how FTX is positioning itself in this macroeconomic environment
the type of acquisitions FTX is interested in
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Episode Links
Sam:
Twitter
Bailouts and Acquisitions
FTX raising $1 billion in funding
FTX’s acquisitions had ‘mixed results’
Voyager Digital Auction
Celsius Possible Acquisition
Stablecoins and Regulation
Bankman-Fried Says He’s ‘Surprisingly Optimistic’ U.S. Will Devise Crypto Rules Within A Year
Stablecoin Draft Bill
Yellen cites UST stablecoin risk after it loses its dollar peg
Previous Coverage of Unchained on Stablecoins and Regulation:
Why Senator Pat Toomey Thinks SEC Chair Gary Gensler Is Wrong About Crypto
Why Terra Collapsed and Whether an Algo Stablecoin Can Ever Succeed
Donations and Politics
Giant crypto exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried promises to give away most of his $21 billion fortune
Political donations
Sam Bankman-Fried is Democrats' largest donor in May
Alameda Research Concerns
Crypto Quant Shop With Ties to FTX Powers Bankman-Fried's Empire
Collapse of Crypto Companies
Celsius bankruptcy filing
Voyager Digital bankruptcy filing
Three Arrows Capital bankruptcy filing
FTX proposal to clear derivatives
New method of clearing
Previous coverage on Unchained:
FTX Wants to Compete with CME – Here’s Why It’s a Big Deal
Interest in buying Twitter
Text messages reveal Sam Bankman-Fried's guru told Elon Musk the crypto billionaire was 'potentially interested' in buying Twitter