U.S. Court Directs Collapsed Crypto Exchange FTX to Compensate Users with $12.7 Billion
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<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">A United States legal body has imposed a mandate on the insolvent digital asset trading platform FTX to distribute a sum totaling $12.7 billion (equivalent to £9.9 billion) as reparations for clients and individuals deceived, this judgement comes half a year subsequent to the incrimination of its originator, who was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/28/sam-bankman-fried-sentenced-prison-ftx-fraud#:~:text=" he="" data-link-name="in body link">incarcerated due to his involvement in the downfall of the establishment</a>.</p>
<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) declared through <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8938-24" data-link-name="in body link">an announcement</a> that the recovery stood as the "most substantial of its kind" in the agency's annals, serving to reallocate capital to those impacted by the "considerable fraudulent machinations devised by Sam Bankman-Fried, his now-defunct network of FTX enterprises, and a close-knit circle of FTX confidants."</p>
<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">In the latter part of 2022, FTX found itself in turmoil amid a downturn in cryptocurrency values. Its creator, Bankman-Fried, faced <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/28/sam-bankman-fried-sentenced-prison-ftx-fraud" data-link-name="in body link">incarceration in March</a> for a term of 25 years upon being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/02/sam-bankman-guilty-ftx-alameda" data-link-name="in body link">found guilty of fraud and conspiracy leading to money laundering</a> in the previous year. Consequently, he was obligated to surrender assets worth $11 billion.</p>
<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">Previously appraised at $32 billion, FTX mismanaged customer assets in precarious ventures through its affiliated hedge fund, Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried exploited client funds for personal gains such as hefty donations to political causes, opulent automobiles, real estate in the Bahamas, and securing endorsements from prominent celebrities.</p>
<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">A critical funding gap came to light as clients commenced withdrawal requests. The prosecution labeled Bankman-Fried's maneuvers as "traditional embezzlement" cloaked in the guise of avant-garde technology. Overall, Bankman-Fried was implicated in the misappropriation of $8 billion from his clients.</p>
<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">The CFTC chair, Rostin Behnam, stated that, "FTX adopted timeless tactics to fabricate an image of reliability and security for engaging in crypto markets, yet the fundamental regulatory mechanisms such as governance, customer protection, and surveillance measures intended to detect malfeasance and prevent collapse, were fundamentally lacking."</p>
<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">The US district court for the southern district of New York has come to a resolution with its latest reparation directive, concluding a legal battle initiated by the CFTC in December 2022, spanning nearly two years.</p>
<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">The judicial decree permanently interdicts FTX from any trade activities, possession, or receipt of funds for purchasing or vending digital assets.</p>
<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">Albeit Behnam mentioned that the case stands as testament that regulatory measures governing digital assets and cryptocurrencies need to be further tightened.</p>
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<p class="dcr-1hirwfs">Behnam emphasized: “As I've consistently argued for years, this is but the merest indication of more profound concerns. In absence of legislative measures specialized for digital assets to bridge the regulatory voids, entities will persist in operating within the obscurity lacking these vital regulatory instruments, refining their deceptive methodologies, and perpetuating the deception of patrons.”</p>
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