Sam Bankman-Fried Claims FTX Could Have Had $93 Billion Without Bankruptcy
Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, claims that if the company had never declared bankruptcy, it could have had $93 billion in assets today and avoided its downfall. In a recent interview from prison, he expressed regret over signing the bankruptcy documents, arguing that it was unnecessary and that the company could have continued operating while refunding its customers.
But with so many proven allegations against him, are his claims valid, or was FTX’s collapse inevitable?
Bankman-Fried's Claim: FTX Had Enough Funds to Survive
In an interview with Tucker Carlson from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Sam Bankman-Fried stated that FTX was not insolvent at the time of its collapse. He claimed that the exchange had $15 billion in liabilities but $93 billion in assets, suggesting that if things had remained unchanged, FTX could have survived.
More importantly, he argued that the bankruptcy was a forced move, and once the company was taken over, its assets were rapidly liquidated.
During the interview, when Carlson asked if he had any money left, Bankman-Fried replied:
"Well, basically no. The company I once owned, maybe I still do, I don’t know, went into bankruptcy, and if nothing had changed, today, it would have had about $15 billion in liabilities and about $93 billion in assets. So, theoretically, there should have been enough money at the time or today to return everything to everyone in full, with many billions left for investors. But that’s not how things played out. Instead, it turned into a bankruptcy where those in control quickly dispersed the assets—tens of billions of dollars vanished. And it was a colossal disaster."
Previously, Bankman-Fried also blamed the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell for mishandling FTX’s bankruptcy. He alleged that they claimed the exchange had only $1 billion in assets when in reality, it had significantly more.
Counterpoint: FTX’s Collapse Was Inevitable
While Bankman-Fried’s claims might sound compelling, not everyone is buying his version of events. Analyst Tim Carden argued that the numbers don’t add up. He pointed out that FTX had $15 billion in liabilities but only $3 billion in assets before intervention, leaving a $12 billion shortfall.
Carden suggested that Bankman-Fried was running a Ponzi-like scheme, as he misused customer funds and deceived investors. Prosecutors also proved that SBF committed fraud, including embezzlement, lying about FTX’s financial health, and orchestrating a complex network of financial manipulations to keep the company afloat.
Did FTX’s Bankruptcy Lawyers Make Things Worse?
While Sam Bankman-Fried blames the bankruptcy lawyers for FTX’s failure, some analysts believe that his biggest mistake was not just the fraud, but signing the bankruptcy documents.
Crypto analyst Karbon argues that if SBF had refused to declare bankruptcy and held onto FTX’s portfolio instead of selling it off, the exchange might have survived.
"As he mentioned in this interview, if FTX/Alameda had held onto its portfolio, they could have had around $93 billion in assets today. But bankruptcy lawyers liquidated more than just cryptocurrencies, weakening their position significantly."
Karbon calculated that if FTX had kept its assets, including its stake in AI company Anthropic, it could have grown to $4.8 billion instead of being sold for $380 million.
Given this scenario, FTX might have been able to recover and repay customers without filing for bankruptcy.
Could Sam Bankman-Fried Have "Faked It Until He Made It"?
Karbon’s argument suggests that if Bankman-Fried had pretended everything was fine and continued holding assets, FTX could have survived. However, Carden’s analysis contradicts this, stating that even if FTX hadn’t filed for bankruptcy, its collapse was unavoidable due to severe financial mismanagement.
More importantly, continuing to operate would have been ethically wrong, as experts believe SBF would have only dug himself deeper into fraud, making the situation even worse.
Final Thoughts: Could FTX Have Avoided Collapse?
The question of whether FTX could have survived remains highly debated. Some believe that if the company had taken a different approach, it might have recovered and repaid its debts. Others argue that FTX was doomed regardless, given its fraudulent practices and financial mismanagement.
One thing is clear—Sam Bankman-Fried remains a divisive figure, with ongoing discussions about what really happened to FTX and whether he had any chance to save the exchange.
#CryptoFraud ,
#FTX ,
#SamBankman-Fried ,
#CryptoNewss ,
#crypto Stay one step ahead – follow our profile and stay informed about everything important in the world of cryptocurrencies!
Notice:
,,The information and views presented in this article are intended solely for educational purposes and should not be taken as investment advice in any situation. The content of these pages should not be regarded as financial, investment, or any other form of advice. We caution that investing in cryptocurrencies can be risky and may lead to financial losses.“