By now you've probably heard of the staggering blow to crypto exchange Bybit, as they confirmed a massive $1.4 billion exploit, making it the largest crypto hack on record

We're now learning some additional details - according to Bybit CEO Ben Zhou, the attacker compromised one of the exchange’s Ethereum cold wallets, siphoning off huge quantities of ETH and stETH by manipulating a single transaction.

Bybit’s CEO says the hacker got hold of the private keys to a specific ETH cold wallet and transferred the funds to an unknown address. Top blockchain analytics groups like ZachXBT and Arkham Intelligence have verified these massive outflows, with Arkham noting that the stolen funds are now being split and sold through multiple addresses.

Is User Money Safe?

Zhou insists that other Bybit wallets weren’t impacted. The platform is still processing withdrawals—99% of user requests have reportedly gone through without a hitch. Bybit is maintaining they have enough liquidity to honor customer withdrawals in full.

Setting a New Record...

This new $1.4 billion hack officially takes the top spot for the largest theft in crypto history. It surpasses both the Ronin Network’s $625 million loss and the $611 million Poly Network exploit, both of which rocked the market in 2022.

Catching the Hacker...

The biggest hack is now offering the biggest reward, up to $140,000,000 (10% of total hacked funds) for anyone who can track down who is responsible.

This is bad news for the hacker, because unless we're looking at a government sponsored action (such as North Korea) you can be sure the hacker bragged about his accomplishment at least within a small circle of fellow hackers - if so, with a reward this size someone is bound to turn on them.

Blockchain researcher ZachXBT was among the first to flag the suspicious outflows. He reports the stolen ETH has been split across 39 different addresses—likely an attempt to hide the funds and evade tracking.

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Author: Adam Lee 
Asia News Desk / Breaking Crypto News

The race to integrate Bitcoin into state treasuries is heating up. So far, 20 U.S. states have introduced bills aiming to accumulate BTC as a financial asset—but Utah is pulling ahead with real legislative momentum.

A new bill, HB 230, just cleared a major hurdle. The “Digital Innovation and Blockchain Amendments” bill, which could allow the state treasurer to allocate public funds into Bitcoin, has now been formally introduced to the Utah Senate’s Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Back in January, the bill passed Utah’s House of Representatives with an 8-1 vote, and on February 7, it advanced to the Senate for its first reading. If enacted, up to 5% of Utah’s state funds could be invested in “qualified digital assets”—a category that, under the bill’s criteria, currently includes only one cryptocurrency: Bitcoin.

Utah's HB 230 isn’t just about buying Bitcoin...

It also lays the groundwork for regulatory oversight, custody protocols, and even permits the treasurer to engage in staking and lending of crypto assets under certain conditions. Additionally, the bill introduces new rules around stablecoin investments, reflecting the broader push to formalize crypto within government finance. The proposal is spearheaded by Utah Rep. Jordan Teuscher.

If it keeps gaining traction, the bill could take effect on May 7, 2025. And according to Dennis Porter, CEO of Satoshi Action Fund, Utah is positioned to be the first U.S. state with an official Bitcoin treasury, thanks to its tight 45-day legislative session.

This state-level push follows Donald Trump has floating the idea of a Federal Bitcoin Reserve - his 'crypto task force' is already exploring ways to make it happen. In an interview with Bloomberg President Trump says he believes that if the U.S. doesn’t move fast, rival nations will.

As Utah moves forward, all eyes are on whether this bill will set a precedent for other states looking to put Bitcoin on their balance sheets.

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News

In a move that would've seemed wild just a few years ago, over a dozen states are seriously considering holding Bitcoin reserves as part of their fiscal strategy.

It began when Trump, not yet elected and on the campaign trail, mentioned the idea as part of his plan to make the US the 'crypto capital of the world'.  Since taking office, one of the executive orders he signed on the first day created the committee to propose new regulations, and to look into the creation of a national cryptocurrency stockpile.

Looking to capitalize on the creation of a Federal Bitcoin Reserve, 15 states have either passed or introduced state-wide Bitcoin reserve bills, including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Pennsylvania was the first to propose it, in a bill in November of last year. 

What Exactly is a Bitcoin reserve?

A Bitcoin reserve is basically a stash of Bitcoin owned and managed by a government, much like how many countries hold gold, silver, gems, or oil reserves.

The reasoning behind it - the most basic fundamental of investing; diversifying your investments. Like gold, Bitcoin has shown itself to be a hedge against inflation. When the dollar loses value, people look for alternative ways to store their wealth, ideally somewhere it isn't losing value.  In every major economic downturn, you'll see the charts for gold on the rise, and more recently, Bitcoin.  Earning the nickname 'digital gold' for this reason. 

How Exactly Would the State or Federal Government Acquire Bitcoin?

So far, proposals have included selling a portion of existing reserves, and using that to purchase Bitcoin. Other proposals involve changes to the State's annual budgets where they would reallocate funds, for example, lawmakers in Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania have proposed that up to 10% of public funds on a temporary basis until a set goal is reached. 

Other states believe their residents who are crypto fans would be willing to donate some of theirs, just to show their support for the concept. 

Lastly, Texas has floated the idea of allowing residents to pay taxes and fees in Bitcoin, and these  payments would go directly into a state reserve, where it couldn't be touched for 5 years. 

How Would this Effect the Market Overall?  

All analysis seems to conclude that this would trigger a significant spike, with a combo of factors working together in a way that could only send the price up.  There is a record number of wallets owned by investors who buy Bitcoin and hold it, leaving it untouched no matter what the market is doing. Then there's the growing number of companies with Bitcoin on their balance sheet.

This means governments, companies, and individuals would be holding Bitcoin for the long haul, with no intent to sell anytime soon. Now factor in that there is only 20 million Bitcoins in circulation, and an estimated 6 million of those sit in wallets where the owner lost the key to access them (many from the early days when Bitcoin was worth a few cents, people didn't carefully backup the key to wallets holding thousands of Bitcoin)

Now imagine with this: Those who hold Bitcoin aren't looking to sell,  limited supply of Bitcoin available, dozens of countries follow the US's lead and begin creating Bitcoin reserves of their own. If those holding Bitcoin aren't willing to sell, there's only one option left - change their mind by offering more. Some are citing this as the path to a $1M Bitcoin price, and while I think that number may be unrealistically high, I do agree it's the path to set new record highs. 

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Author: Oliver Redding
Seattle Newsdesk  / Breaking Crypto News

Craig Wright, the controversial figure who claims to be Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, is cracking following the defeat of his landmark case as been handed a suspended prison sentence by a UK court.

Wright’s one-year sentence for contempt of court won’t see him behind bars unless he breaches court orders in the next two years. While the average person would make sure to comply, Wright's recent behavior has us wondering if he's capable of controlling himself long enough to stay free man. 

Over-Emotional, Irrational, and Digging his Hole Deeper...

Wright has seemingly become driven by emotion rather than calculated legal strategy, his recent  irrationality and impulsiveness seem to be a clear indication that the mounting legal defeats are taking their toll. 

First, immediately after the court dismissed his lawsuit, he filed another - a move seen as Wright blatantly disregarding the court’s previous orders.

But that was just the beginning as Wright then did something anyone in their right mind knows is always a bad idea, and will never help someone make their case - he skipped attending the hearing addressing his first violation. 

At first it seemed like Wright may have immediately realized his mistake and agreed to attending the rescheduled hearing. But hopes Wright was returning to reality soon faded as he joined the hearing via video link, demanding an insane £240,000 to attend, to cover his "costs and lost earnings". 

These actions painted a picture of someone incapable of maintaining composure in the face of legal setbacks.

The Claim That Won’t Die...

These most recent troubles were ignited when Wright attempted to sue a group of Bitcoin developers for £900 billion (around $1 TRILLION in USD), the most recent, but far from the first lawsuit Wright has attempted.

For years, Wright has insisted he is the mysterious creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. This self-proclaimed identity has been central to his legal battles and public persona, yet it has consistently crumbled under scrutiny. 

The High Court in London dismissed his lawsuit, calling it baseless. In the wake of this ruling, an advocacy group made up of individuals and companies who want to protect Bitcoin's open source status, called the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) called for Wright to be held in contempt of court.  The grounds for this claim come from his ruling from the court explicitly barring him from filing new lawsuits that were based on his claim to be Nakamoto.

The UK Legal System Has Had ENOUGH...

Judge Mellor ripped into Wright, calling his tactics "malicious and manipulative". 

The court highlighted years of distress caused by Wright’s relentless legal threats against developers and bloggers, noting that his claims were founded on lies and forgeries. The judgment emphasized Wright’s attempts to mislead both the legal system and the public.

Wright’s unhinged behavior has earned him a one-year suspended sentence for contempt of court, along with orders to pay £145,000 (about $180,000 USD) within 2 weeks.

While he narrowly avoided prison thus far, he must follow court orders exactly as instructed for the next 2 years if he wants to stay out.

A Tarnished Legacy...

The crazy part is, Wright truly did contribute to the creation of Bitcoin.  He was among the small group of original developers who volunteered their time and skills to help whoever the real Satoshi is - Wright does deserve credit for helping to launch the first cryptocurrency.

Wright could have been a respected figure in the crypto and tech world with the true story of his role in Bitcoin's creation. Ironically, people who launch the most vicious attacks at Wright for being a fraud would probably be among his biggest fans.

This seems to be an example of a poor choice made years ago, perhaps made impulsively - mix this with a prideful person who struggles to admit when they're wrong, and you get this ridiculous never-ending spectacle.

Wright had to be aware of several obvious methods the real Satoshi could use to prove his identity, Wright knew he couldn't perform any of them, and that people would demand this of anyone making this claim. The most important being the ability to open the wallet belonging to Satoshi.

Surely the real Satoshi would carefully back up the private key needed to access his wallet, of which over $90 Billion USD worth of Bitcoin sits untouched for 14 years.

But during a case he filed in Norway, where Wright attempted to sue someone from the crypto community on Twitter for calling him a scammer, Wright claimed he could no longer access the Satoshi wallets since he 'stomped out' the hard drives they were saved on.  The man he was suing was a public school teacher with 8000 followers, Wright lost. 

Where Do We Go From Here?

It seems Wright has taken things so far, he's reached the point where having him face real, life changing consequences is the only response left.  Wright has proven his willingness to create a never ending cycle of baseless lawsuits that waste both government and private citizens funds addressing - failing to win a judgement in his favor has proven not to be a deterrent. 

Since Wright begun his crusade, only his worst traits have evolved.  What started with him at least portraying an image of someone making calculated legal moves, has been replaced with someone unable to control themselves long enough to consider the results of their increasingly impulsive actions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - my money is on Craig going to jail! He needs to obey every demand of the court for 2 full years, and I just don't see his personality changing enough to pull it off. 

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Author: Mark Pippen
London Newsroom
GlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

As Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year, an organization called Ukraine DAO instantly surfaced as a charity ready to help those wanting to donate to Ukraine using crypto, promising 100% of donations would go to the cause.

UkraineDAO started off doing what they promised to do…

The organization’s first move was the auction of an NFT of the Ukrainian flag. Many in the crypto community shared this on social media, along with some high profile exposure from people like Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin and Nadia Tolokonnikova of Russian Anti-Putin band Pussy Riot.

The NFT raised a total of $6.8 million worth of ETH at the time - and on-chain records show this being transferred to non-profit Ukrainian Military Support organization ‘Come Back Alive’ which helps supply equipment and training for Ukrainian soldiers.

Their verifiable donations include:

- 1550.5 ETH to Come Back Alive.

- 387.63 ETH to Ukraine Government.

- 190.49 ETH to OutRight Action International

- 4.43 ETH to Psychology for Human Rights

This totals approximately 2130 ETH verifiably donated. But the wallet data shows a total of 2468 ETH received.

So there’s a remaining 338 ETH with a current value approximately $640,300. Some of this sits unspent, some is accounted for, and some is accounted for but the way it was used is where conflict begins to arise.

Things got real nasty, real fast...

The first issue came to light when Nadia Tolokonnikova of Russian Anti-Putin band Pussy Riot, who initially endorsed the project, quit after learning that the promise of “100% of funds” going to help those effected by the war untrue and project leader Alona Shevchenko had been taking a $5,000/month salary.

Alona responded showing how previously Nadia had given interviews where she was asked about when she ‘started the charity, Nadia told the interviewer the she "along with a number of friends’ felt they had to do something when they learned the invasion had begun.  Alona seems to think Nadia was positioning herself in interviews to be seen as the main person behind it.

[This portion of the article has been updated] There are 5 leaders who all need to sign off anytime a transaction is made from the official wallet (multi-sig). We initially reported that Nadia was not one of those five people, therefore it appeared she was not among the original founders.

That was incorrect -  she no longer is one of the five required signatures, which is why we did not see her there when we looked. But at the beginning, she was.

John Caldwell was another one of the five, he currently runs another charitable DAO he co-founded with Nadia called Unicorn DAO. John provided evidence of earlier transactions showing Nadia's signature on them, and explained that once UkraineDAO distributed the majority of the funds, both he and Nadia moved on, explaining "on that list of transactions, on #44 Pussyriot.eth was removed, then 45 I removed myself" trusting that the remaining funds would continue to be distributed appropriately.

It's the management of those remaining funds that have some people concerned...

You can still see the promise made on their official Twitter account that “100% proceeds go to support Ukrainians suffering for the war” - no room for confusion there .

While Alona is from Ukraine, she has been living in the UK for years before the war even started. When taking a look at her LinkedIn employment history, we see that she’s been employed in London-based companies since 2017 - clearly she does not qualify as one of the “Ukrainians suffering for the war” yet she took $5000 per month from the donated funds for things like rent and personal expenses.

Ukraine DAO also repeatedly stated they were “supported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine” making them “the first DAO to have been endorsed at the state level”. That claim would later be called ‘weird’ when after catching the attention of Ukrainian news outlet Kiev Post, who asked the Ukrainian government about these claims, they were told “The Ministry of Digital Transformation has not endorsed Ukraine DAO” .

However, I should mention that the Ukrainian government was not saying ‘we have no idea who you’re talking about’ - because there is some kind of relationship between the two organizations.

A profile on Alona Shevchenko which highlights her co-founding Ukraine DAO appears on an official Ukrainian government website. But when asked, Oleksandr Bornyakov, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of the program downplayed its importance only as 1 of nearly 300 pages for volunteers for a program to educate the public on crypto.

Ukrainian News Outlets Claimed "around $700k" - We've Located Approximately $400K Of It...

At today's ETH value it's somewhere closer to $640,300 ‘unaccounted’ for funds, some of which more accurately should be called ‘unexplained’ funds. Because we know where some of that is, we just don’t know why it’s there.

There’s what was sent to individuals - Alona’s $5000 monthly payments to herself is somewhere around $70,000 total now. There was another $34,013 sent to another co-founder of the charity, Matthew Bundy; we can’t imagine why unless donors are now paying his rent too.

Then we don’t know who this was intended for, but another transaction for approximately $155,000 was sent to a wallet controlled by Sam Bankman-Fried’s former exchange FTX shortly before everyone lost access to their funds, as far as we can tell it was still there when that happened.

Lastly, $156,461 still sits in the official wallet of the charity.

The situation is much better thann $700,000 missing, but there's still a total around $200,000 gone from the charity's wallet but not listed as being spent anywhere - which is still too much to go unanswered for.

So, Now What?

Thankfully this isn’t a situation where donations are still flowing into the charity, so even if the worst outcome is true and a large amount of funds were misused, that number isn’t growing, at least from Ukraine DAO.

However, the same group appears to be on to the next cause - launching Iran DAO whose Twitter profile states their goal of “providing resources for Iran’s women-led revolution.”

It began with a Tweet from UkraineDAO stating they are “working to set up IranianDAO.”

In Closing…

It’s important to note that we could only label some Ukrainian funds ‘unaccounted’ for - which is very different than labeling them ‘stolen’. However, I’d like every dollar from their previous charity to be accounted for before even considering supporting a new one.

Or should the funds that ended up in Alona’s hands for personal expenses be considered ‘stolen’? This is a grey area legally. If 100% of the funds were to go to ‘Ukrainians suffering from the war’, she is Ukrainian, and while she only experiences the war via online news and TV from her home in England, perhaps she found the images emotionally distressful, technically making her a ‘Ukrainian suffering from the war’.

Unfortunately I’m struggling to come up with a scenario that ends with these payments to herself turning out to be completely ethical. 

I’m confident that no one donated thinking any of their money was going to a Ukrainian, who hasn't lived in Ukraine for years, is one of the people trusted with access to the donated funds, finding a way to put some in her own pocket - technically legal or not. 

While the Ukrainian government’s resources are focused elsewhere, there is a group of citizens along with journalists from the Kiev Post who continue to demand full accounting of every donated dollar, as well as question the legality of some of the DAO’s controversial decisions.

They vow that when the war is over they will be pressuring the government to review any potential exploitation by those using their crisis for personal profit. 

The story may be far from over, but this is where things stand now.

UkraineDAO was contacted (via Twitter DM)  and invited to share any additional information on the topics mentioned here. If they choose to, we will include it with our reporting.

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News

Late yesterday the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially approved Ethereum spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to begin trading today! Following in Bitcoin's footsteps, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency will now be accessible to investors through traditional markets.

Here's the list of the newly approved Ethereum ETFs and where you can find them:

• Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust (ETH) - New York Stock Exchange
• Franklin Ethereum ETF (EZET) - CBOE Exchange
• VanEck Ethereum ETF (ETHV) - CBOE Exchange
• Bitwise Ethereum ETF (ETHW) - New York Stock Exchange
• 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF (CETH) - CBOE Exchange
• Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH) - CBOE Exchange
• iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) - Nasdaq
• Invesco Galaxy Ethereum ETF (QETH) - CBOE Exchange

In addition to these, the SEC has also given the green light for Grayscale to convert its Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) to a spot ETF, which is a big deal for those tracking crypto investments.

For those of you who are new to ETFs, or exchange-traded fund, is an investment fund that owns the underlying asset it represents—in this case, Ethereum. When you buy shares of an Ethereum ETF, you are essentially buying a portion of the Ethereum owned by the ETF, which is managed by a financial company. This way, you can invest in Ethereum without needing to buy, store, or manage the cryptocurrency yourself.

Major BULL RUN Coming?!

What caught my eye is when looking back to May when the SEC approved Ethereum ETFs (said they will allow them, but did not yet have a launch date) Ethereum made some gains but, but there were multiple positive news stories that month, mainly US traders receiving conformation ETH 2.0 will not be viewed as a Security, and Ethereum's gains in May were mostly credited to news that US exchanges wouldn't have to de-list it.

When Bitcoin ETF's received the same approval investors responded in such large numbers it was actually credited with brining back the bull market. So by the time Bitcoin ETF's launched, most investors reacting to the news did so days/weeks earlier. This also likely had investors assuming 

I don't make price predictions, but I will make a suggestion that you take a look - when the market doesn't react to the announcement, it often means it will react to the launch. 

Those offering the ETH ETF are mostly the same companies that already offer the Bitcoin ETF, and they've done quite well, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars.  They will now promote the ETH ETF to those same investors - and selling a token via an ETF requires the company to actually buy and own the asset. 

So, just something to consider.  

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Author: Oliver Redding
Seattle Newsdesk  / Breaking Crypto News

Crypto liquidations are expected to decrease this month, and the market is predicted to bounce back from August onwards, according to a report from JPMorgan (JPMJPM) released yesterday.

The bank has lowered its estimate of how much money has flowed into the crypto market this year from $12 billion to $8 billion. JPMorgan doubts that the earlier estimate of $12 billion would continue for the rest of the year because the price of Bitcoin (BTC) is quite high compared to its production cost or the price of gold.

“The reduction in the estimated net flow is largely driven by the decline in bitcoin reserves across exchanges over the past month,” said analysts led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou.

Combination of 3 Large Sell-offs are Holding Prices Down...

The sell off's by creditors of Gemini, the now-closed crypto exchange Mt. Gox, and the German government, which has been selling crypto it seized from criminal activities, increased supply, and held prices down.  

But all these sell off's are a one time thing, and have either recently finished selling or will be completed soon. 

JPMorgan’s reduced estimate of $8 billion accounts for $14 billion in new investments into crypto funds by July 9, $5 billion from Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures, and $5.7 billion raised by crypto venture capital funds this year. These amounts are then adjusted by subtracting $17 billion, which accounts for the shift from wallets on exchanges to new spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

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Author: Mark Pippen
London Newsroom
GlobalCryptoPress | Breaking Crypto News

This story somehow never runs out of surprising twists, and this one is massive.

Look back on almost any news coverage, or old posts in online crypto communities made by your average trader - in everyone's mind this was a story about people losing billions.  At one point it was probably true, when the market had just been hit with the Terra/Luna collapse There's no downplaying how much this story changes when it no longer involves anyone losing money.

At one point, every FTX user who had funds sitting on the exchange when it shut down believed they had lost money, with many expecting to hear all of it was gone. 

Searching old posts in online crypto communities made at the time FTX halted trading show there was little hope they would recover any funds they left in FTX controlled wallets.

Now we finally know how the story ends for the users of FTX - they're getting all of it back, and then some.

FTX Owes $11.2 Billion - All of That and More is Ready to Be Paid Out Immediately...

Under new leadership following FTX’s bankruptcy claim and the arrests of its former executives, liquidation of company assets began. This involved mainly dumping massive amounts of crypto over the last few months, enough where the $11.2 billion owed already sits in US dollars they can access anytime. But there’s more to come, as they claim to still have another $2+ billion in crypto that cannot yet be sold.

Sam participated in a common practice among VCs where projects offer them a chance to invest early by buying coins at an extremely low price. However, these coins are 'locked' and unable to be traded until a future date.

The biggest chunk of FTX's recent windfall of cash comes from Sam's early investment into Solana, where he’s rumored to have paid 0.20 cents per coin - they’re worth $133 each today, but FTX's bankruptcy team supposedly dumped a large amount when it was trading closer to $200.

Solana was the largest source of funds, worth billions, but FTX held millions of dollars worth of dozens of other coins, selling these off totaled several more billion dollars.

The end result - FTX can pay back all users right now, with a little extra. 

Sam and His Supporters Say This Changes Everything... 

According to his family, Sam is in prison wrongly labeled as someone who caused investors to lose billions. Now that the trial and sentencing are done, we learn no one lost anything, and they're even walking away with a small profit - this is a completely different situation than what he was sent to prison for.

32-year-old Sam is serving a sentence of 25 years, the prime of his life wasted - this is a punishment designed for someone who caused countless people to lose their hard earned money. 

He'll be 57 when released, that is if he survives prison, as his family says his 'social awkwardness' puts him at high risk of becoming the victim of 'extreme violence' from another inmate confusing Sam's awkwardness for rudeness. His cellmate from the NY jail that held Sam during the trial says there were times other inmates indeed targeted him.

Before Sentencing, The Judge Allowed Some FTX Users To Share Stories of How Their Lives Were Ruined...

At the time, the final outcome was still unknown. These users gave stories of their lives being ruined, stating things like "decades worth of savings" were gone forever because of Sam's actions.

These were the kind of stories the judge heard right before sentencing Sam to 25 years in prison.

It does make you wonder - would the sentence be different if these former FTX users only had stories of their funds being inaccessible, then eventually getting all of it back, with a small profit? Honestly, I have a hard time believing it wouldn't.

But Maybe This Shouldn't Change Anything...

Let's imagine the worst-case scenario. Sam, like everyone else, cannot actually predict the future. While his early investments into projects like Solana are bringing in billions in profits today, things also could have gone the other way.

You can say he made smart investments that paid off, as he knew they would, so from his point of view no user funds were ever at risk. But there's just some things he couldn't have known no matter how much research he put into his decisions. For example, what if Solana faced a massive hack? We've seen hacks ruin projects that had the potential to end up among the top 10 tokens - no one can predict the discovery of a new security vulnerability.

If an unforeseen hack did bring down Solana, this would be a story of FTX billions short on what they owe.

So, while things end with no one losing money, Sam did, in fact, gamble with user funds and expose them to potentially losing all of it.

On that note, while he was risking other people's money, did he plan to share the rewards if it all worked out? Of course not. Sam quietly 'borrowed' user funds without them knowing, he would have taken the profits and return what he had borrowed just as quietly as he took it.

We've all Been Damaged By Sam's Actions...

I was not an FTX user, but that didn't matter as we all watched our portfolios go into a nosedive the day FTX halted trading, and those losses weren't recouped for over a year.

But what many are unaware of is that the damages actually continue to the present day. The reason FTX has so much money right now because they dumped their massive stash of coins on the market over the last year, often at times the market was on the rise, bringing that rise to a halt.

In fact, FTX is the reason why we saw Bitcoin ETFs bringing billions of new investments into the market, and the price of Bitcoin barely move. Sam had purchased shares of Grayscale's Bitcoin Trust which automatically was converted into shares of Grayscale's ETF, so when the ETF went live FTX had 22 million shares of it - which they immediately dumped onto the market.

But it was FTX's Solana holdings that became worth billions while Sam was on trial - there's no way to know what Solana's price would be today if FTX hadn't dumped billions of dollars worth - but higher for sure, possibly much higher.

Fact is - Sam is a Liar...

Ironically, his largest broken promise is in print, on one of Sam's strangest marketing decisions.

In Closing...

This is all still sinking in, but when I think about Sam being in prison right now, it feels justified. He deserves some punishment.  Where I'm torn is if in 15 or 20 years from now, I'll feel like it's justified that he's still there. 

From a legal standpoint, the end result of a crime usually makes a massive difference.  For example, imagine someone driving the wrong way on a freeway because they're extremely drunk, and they manage not to kill anyone only because the other drivers swerved to avoid them. Then imagine the same scenario but in this one, the drunk driver kills an innocent driver in a head on collision.  Even though we're fully aware that both literally made the exact same poor choices - one could end up in prison for a few months, and the other for decades.

Ultimately, the choices Sam made led him here, making it hard to feel sorry for him now. So while I won't be campaigning to #FreeSam, I also wouldn't be angry to hear Sam's legal team was able to have the sentence re-evaluated, and reduced by a few years.

If you were the judge overseeing the case - what, if anything, would you change given what you know today? We want to know - share your answer with us on X @TheCryptoPress

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News