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SwapBlast is building a comprehensive decentralized trading platform in theBlast ecosystem. SwapBlast offers automated liquidity that help users swap different tokens.
Kalshi Crypto Business Lead: The "Top-Tier VC" Narrative Around SBF Is Inaccurate; The Real Mastermind Is "AI Stock God" Leopold
John Wang, Head of Crypto Business at prediction market platform Kalshi, stated on X that it is widely believed Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was a "top-tier venture capitalist" who successfully invested in star projects like Anthropic and Cursor. However, Wang argued this narrative is inaccurate. The real "core figure" driving these investment strategies and early resource allocation was actually "AI stock guru" Leopold Aschenbrenner, not SBF himself.Analysis suggests that this remark has sparked discussion within the crypto and venture capital circles, once again bringing the attribution of SBF's influence on early-stage investments in Silicon Valley and the crypto industry into the spotlight. It is reported that the AI fund Situational Awareness, founded by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner, has grown to over $20 billion in scale, with quantitative giant Jane Street making a rare capital injection. Situational Awareness has achieved a year-to-date return rate of 270% and cumulative returns exceeding 1,000% since its inception. Equity bets on Anthropic have contributed the most successful returns, accounting for one-fifth of its assets. Beyond public markets, Situational Awareness also co-led an investment round in AI chip company MatX with Jane Street and participated in the latest funding round of AI cloud computing provider Fluidstack.
Forbes: SBF’s venture capital prowess is being reassessed—if he hadn’t been imprisoned, he might have commanded a $100 billion fortune
According to Forbes, SBF’s early investment portfolio is undergoing renewed market scrutiny; had he not been imprisoned due to the FTX collapse, his venture capital returns could theoretically have generated wealth growth reaching approximately $100 billion. Prior to FTX’s collapse, SBF had built an investment portfolio spanning several high-profile companies—including Anthropic, SpaceX, Robinhood, and Cursor—with Cursor valued at $60 billion and Anthropic nearing a $90 billion valuation. Rory O’Driscoll, Partner at Scale Venture Partners, noted that SBF had backed multiple pivotal AI companies even before the ChatGPT era, demonstrating an exceptionally rare investment acumen.
SBF invested $200,000 early in Cursor; if he had not sold his equity, it would now be worth approximately $3 billion.
SpaceX announced today that it has reached a cooperation agreement with AI-powered programming startup Cursor, which has granted SpaceX the right to acquire Cursor later this year for $6 billion—or pay $1 billion to advance their collaboration. According to reports, Cursor’s developer, Anysphere, closed a $400,000 pre-seed funding round in April 2022, co-led by Alameda Research and Heroic Ventures. Alameda invested $200,000 in Anysphere, acquiring approximately 5% equity; this stake was sold at its original price during FTX’s bankruptcy liquidation. Had it not been sold, the stake would now be worth roughly $3 billion.
Reform UK Calls for Investigation into SBF-Linked Political Donations
Reform UK Chairman Lee Anderson called for an investigation into the $50,000 political donation accepted by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, which was allegedly linked to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried through a think tank.
SBF Second-Instance Appeal Officially Closed, 25-Year Sentence Upheld, Supreme Court Becomes Only Way Out
According to BeInCrypto, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit officially issued the mandate in the SBF case on August 4, marking the formal conclusion of Sam Bankman-Fried's appellate proceedings. The one-page order affirmed the original verdict without providing any new reasoning, leaving his 25-year prison sentence and approximately $11 billion forfeiture order unchanged. Previously, on June 12, the panel rejected SBF's appeals on all seven counts. In the opinion, Judge Parker noted that while SBF publicly assured customers, investors, and regulators of the safety of FTX funds, he misappropriated customer funds for real estate, political donations, and personal investments. Currently, SBF's only remaining judicial recourse is to petition for a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court within 90 days, but the Supreme Court's acceptance rate is extremely low. Additionally, SBF has separately submitted a clemency application to the Department of Justice, but Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego have jointly introduced a resolution opposing the granting of clemency to him.
Analysis: US Senate Passes Resolution Opposing SBF Pardon Unanimously, Purely Political Statement with No Legal Force
Odaily News, Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett analyzed that the US Senate recently passed a resolution opposing the pardon of FTX founder SBF unanimously. The resolution, co-sponsored by Senators Ruben Gallego and Cynthia Lummis, serves to record the Senate's opposition to pardoning SBF publicly. The analysis points out that this resolution is merely a political statement, carries no legal binding force, cannot restrict the US President's power to grant pardons, and will not alter the current judicial process of the SBF case.
FTX-related Netflix series "The Altruists" to premiere on November 19
Odaily News: Netflix has announced that "The Altruists," a series inspired by the rise and fall of FTX founder SBF and former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, will premiere on November 19, with the first stills released.The series consists of 8 episodes, with Anthony Boyle portraying SBF and Julia Garner playing Caroline Ellison. The plot follows two young idealists who attempt to rapidly reshape the global financial system, only to be accused of stealing $8 billion and ultimately fall from the pinnacle of financial power.The series is created by Graham Moore, inspired by articles from New York Magazine journalists Kevin T. Dugan and Jen Wieczner. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama serve as executive producers of the series. (Variety.com)
U.S. Appeals Court Upholds SBF's Conviction, 25-Year Sentence, and $11 Billion Forfeiture Order
Odaily News: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has issued a formal order upholding the conviction and sentencing of former FTX CEO Sam "SBF" Bankman-Fried. The lower court previously found him guilty on seven felony counts and sentenced him to 25 years in federal prison. The three-judge panel rejected Bankman-Fried's appeal arguments that FTX had sufficient liquidity and that investors would be fully repaid without incurring losses, and upheld the $11 billion forfeiture order issued by the New York court in the criminal case. Circuit Judge Barrington D. Parker stated in the opinion that even if Bankman-Fried believed he would ultimately repay customers, it does not affect the applicability of wire fraud laws to the temporary misappropriation of funds or property. With the order now in effect, his legal avenues for seeking early release have narrowed, including options such as applying for a presidential pardon or appealing to the Supreme Court.
美上诉法院维持 SBF 定罪及 25 年刑期
美国第二巡回上诉法院正式发布指令，维持对前 FTX 首席执行官 Sam Bankman-Fried 的七项重罪定罪及 25 年刑期判决，并驳回其关于投资者可获全额赔偿的上诉主张。
Galaxy Research Head: CZ Interview to Be Released This Week, Will Discuss Views on Hyperliquid
: Galaxy's research head posted on X platform, stating that CZ founded the largest crypto exchange Binance and once refused to provide bailout to SBF. Bloomberg reported that with a fortune of $85 billion, he ranks 26th among the world's billionaires and is the wealthiest person who has either entered or not entered U.S. federal prison; he was later pardoned. The CZ interview will be released this week, including his views on Hyperliquid.
Related news
FTX-related Netflix series "The Altruists" to premiere on November 19
Odaily News: Netflix has announced that "The Altruists," a series inspired by the rise and fall of FTX founder SBF and former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, will premiere on November 19, with the first stills released.The series consists of 8 episodes, with Anthony Boyle portraying SBF and Julia Garner playing Caroline Ellison. The plot follows two young idealists who attempt to rapidly reshape the global financial system, only to be accused of stealing $8 billion and ultimately fall from the pinnacle of financial power.The series is created by Graham Moore, inspired by articles from New York Magazine journalists Kevin T. Dugan and Jen Wieczner. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama serve as executive producers of the series. (Variety.com)
Reform UK Calls for Investigation into SBF-Linked Political Donations
Reform UK Chairman Lee Anderson called for an investigation into the $50,000 political donation accepted by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, which was allegedly linked to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried through a think tank.
U.S. Appeals Court Upholds SBF's Conviction, 25-Year Sentence, and $11 Billion Forfeiture Order
Odaily News: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has issued a formal order upholding the conviction and sentencing of former FTX CEO Sam "SBF" Bankman-Fried. The lower court previously found him guilty on seven felony counts and sentenced him to 25 years in federal prison. The three-judge panel rejected Bankman-Fried's appeal arguments that FTX had sufficient liquidity and that investors would be fully repaid without incurring losses, and upheld the $11 billion forfeiture order issued by the New York court in the criminal case. Circuit Judge Barrington D. Parker stated in the opinion that even if Bankman-Fried believed he would ultimately repay customers, it does not affect the applicability of wire fraud laws to the temporary misappropriation of funds or property. With the order now in effect, his legal avenues for seeking early release have narrowed, including options such as applying for a presidential pardon or appealing to the Supreme Court.
美上诉法院维持 SBF 定罪及 25 年刑期
美国第二巡回上诉法院正式发布指令，维持对前 FTX 首席执行官 Sam Bankman-Fried 的七项重罪定罪及 25 年刑期判决，并驳回其关于投资者可获全额赔偿的上诉主张。
SBF Second-Instance Appeal Officially Closed, 25-Year Sentence Upheld, Supreme Court Becomes Only Way Out
According to BeInCrypto, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit officially issued the mandate in the SBF case on August 4, marking the formal conclusion of Sam Bankman-Fried's appellate proceedings. The one-page order affirmed the original verdict without providing any new reasoning, leaving his 25-year prison sentence and approximately $11 billion forfeiture order unchanged. Previously, on June 12, the panel rejected SBF's appeals on all seven counts. In the opinion, Judge Parker noted that while SBF publicly assured customers, investors, and regulators of the safety of FTX funds, he misappropriated customer funds for real estate, political donations, and personal investments. Currently, SBF's only remaining judicial recourse is to petition for a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court within 90 days, but the Supreme Court's acceptance rate is extremely low. Additionally, SBF has separately submitted a clemency application to the Department of Justice, but Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego have jointly introduced a resolution opposing the granting of clemency to him.
FTX to Launch Fifth Round of Creditor Distributions on July 31, Approximately $900 Million
FTX Recovery Trust and FTX announced that the next round of fund distributions will begin on July 31, allocating approximately $900 million to holders of Convenience Class and other claims under the reorganization plan. Eligible creditors can receive funds within 1 to 3 business days via their BitGo, Kraken, or Payoneer accounts. This distribution marks the fifth round of repayments to FTX creditors. According to the FTX reorganization plan, Convenience Class claims under $50,000 will receive a 120% payout, while other claims will receive between 103% and 105%. Since FTX filed for bankruptcy in November 2022, the FTX Recovery Trust has distributed approximately $10 billion. Former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2024, and his appeal against his conviction and sentence was dismissed last month.