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Sam Bankman-Fried took the witness stand on Thursday after days of testimony from his inner circle. The FTX cofounder is facing seven charges of fraud over the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange. AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Bankman-Fried took the witness stand Thursday to testify in his own defense in the criminal trial involving FTX's collapse. After briefly describing the "constant" threat of attempts to hack FTX, Bankman-Fried got into the company's document retention policy, which he said he abided by "to my knowledge." The FTX cofounder is facing seven criminal charges and has pleaded not guilty on all counts.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, —, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Kaplan, Mark Cohen, Gary Wang, Caroline Ellison, Wang, FTX, Ellison, she'd Organizations: Service, FTX, Alameda Research, Alameda Locations: Alameda

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried to testify in FTX fraud trial, attorney says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried will take the stand to testify in his own defense, his attorney said in a conference call Wednesday. The decision by his legal team sets him up for a cross-examination by federal prosecutors, who will be able to press him on the collapse of his crypto exchange FTX. Bankman-Fried's decision to testify came after federal prosecutors and his defense team were able to secure the alleged fraudster an adequate supply of his ADHD medication. The defense will also call three other witnesses besides Bankman-Fried to the stand, defense attorney Mark Cohen said on the call. Bankman-Fried stands accused of fraud and money laundering of his role in the collapse of the multi-billion dollar crypto exchange FTX.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Mark Cohen, Nishad Singh, Caroline Ellison, Fried, Dawn Giel Organizations: Prosecutors, Federal Bureau of, Alameda Research

☆ The founder of Chinese property developer Evergrande — who was once Asia's second-richest person — is no longer a billionaire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Once China's second-largest property developer, Evergrande has been mired in a debt crisis since 2021. AdvertisementAdvertisementHui Ka Yan, the founder and chairman of embattled Chinese property developer Evergrande, was once Asia's second-richest person worth $42 billion in 2017. Currently worth $979 million, Hui's net worth followed a dive in the share price of Evergrande amid a real-estate sector meltdown in China. Hui's wealth has also taken a big hit from the recent wild swings in the company's share price on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. AdvertisementAdvertisementEvergrande's share price was up 0.4% at 24 Hong Kong cents, or 5.4 cents, at 10.05 a.m. Hong Kong time on Wednesday.

Persons: China's, Evergrande, —, Yan, Hui —, Hui, Stocks Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Reuters, Hong Locations: China, Evergrande, Hong Kong

☆ Here's the 6 personality traits you need to found a successful startup
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Researchers used AI to determine the personality traits of 21,000 startup founders. They found that the success of a startup is linked to the personality traits of its founder. Here are the six personality traits you need to be a successful founder. AdvertisementAdvertisementA startup founder's personality traits may have a major impact on their company's success, a study published in Nature suggests. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe researchers found that these core personality traits were dramatically different to the wider population, the report says.

Persons: —, Paul X, McCarthy, It's, " McCarthy, Melanie Perkins, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Horacio Villalobos Organizations: Service, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, University of Technology Sydney, University of Melbourne, University of New Locations: Nature, University of New South Wales, Sydney

☆ Why now is actually a good time to buy a house
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

And yet, there's an argument to be made for getting in now if you can find something, even amid 20-year high mortgage rates and stubbornly high prices. Mortgage rates at 8% have sidelined a good portion of the competition. High mortgage rates are the new normalThat message doesn't appear to be getting through to prospective homebuyers, who have made themselves scarce as mortgage rates have continued their steady rise in 2023. AdvertisementAdvertisementFairweather sees mortgage rates staying where they are until the Fed begins to cut rates in mid-2024. That could cause mortgage rates to ease around 100 basis-points next year, dropping as low as 7%.

Persons: —, Barbara Corcoran, don't, Lawrence Yun, Daryl Fairweather, Fairweather Organizations: Service, Corcoran, National Association of Realtors, Federal Reserve

☆ EV maker VinFast strikes shares deal with Yorkville for up to $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHANOI, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast said on Friday it has entered into a share subscription of up to $1 billion with U.S.-based fund Yorkville Advisors as it seeks to fund expansion in overseas markets. VinFast has the option, but not the obligation, to require Yorkville to subscribe for up to $1.0 billion worth of ordinary shares in VinFast at any time during the term of the agreement, VinFast said in a filing to the U.S. securities authority. VinFast so far has sold around 22,000 cars, aiming to meet this year's sale target of 40,000 to 50,000 units. Yorkville two years ago bought up to $400 mln worth of share in EV maker Lordstown. In April it said it would receive a fresh round of funding pledges worth $2.5 billion for its future development, of which $1 billion would be from its founder's pocket.

Persons: Mike Blake, VinFast, Pham Nhat Vuong, Ford, –, David Mansfield, Vuong, Mark Angelo, VinFast's, Tesla, Phuong Nguyen, Jason Neely, Martin Petty Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Yorkville Advisors, Nasdaq, Yorkville, Lordstown, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Rights HANOI, Yorkville, VinFast, Vietnam

☆ VinFast expects sales to founder's taxi venture to extend into 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In an interview, VinFast CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy said VinFast had not provided any financing to GSM. "For the next two quarters we still see GSM having demand for our vehicles, both EVs and e-scooters," Thuy said. A VinFast survey showed riders who had experienced a ride in a VinFast taxi operated by GSM were four times more likely to buy than customers who took standard test drives, she said. GSM launched Vietnam's first pure EV taxi service earlier this year. Thuy said no deliveries had been made to Autonomy yet, and that VinFast was "working on options for contract execution."

Persons: VinFast, Pham Nhat Vuong, Le, Thuy, Nguyen Van Thanh, Thanh, VinFast's, Phuong Nguyen, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Green SM, GSM, EV, Thomson Locations: HANOI, Vietnam, Laos, India, Indonesia, United States, U.S, Autonomy

☆ Sponsors are backing out of the tech conference Web Summit after backlash over the founder's comments on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Major tech giants Intel and Siemens have pulled out as sponsors of the Web Summit conference. Siemens told Insider that it's not attending due to "recent developments surrounding Web Summit." AdvertisementAdvertisementIntel and Siemens are pulling out as sponsors of Web Summit after its CEO and cofounder, Paddy Cosgrave, criticized the West's support for Israel, the companies confirmed to Insider. The multinational companies told Insider they're withdrawing from the European tech conference, which is set to take place in Lisbon next month. "Following recent developments surrounding Web Summit, we have reviewed the situation and determined that Siemens will not to attend in 2023," German tech firm Siemens told Insider in a statement Thursday.

Persons: it's, —, Paddy Cosgrave, I'm, Cosgrave Organizations: Intel, Siemens, Web, Service, Israel Locations: Israel, Lisbon

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried trial jury sees his profane message about regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It was one of several private messages that Bankman-Fried sent to a reporter for the news website Vox on Twitter, the social media platform now called X, that the defense sought to keep away from the jury during the trial in Manhattan federal court. In the trial, which began on Oct. 3, Bankman-Fried stands accused of looting billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to make investments, donate to U.S. political campaigns and prop up his hedge fund, Alameda Research. In one of the messages, Bankman-Fried told the reporter, "fuck regulators" and quickly added in another message, "they make everything worse." Bankman-Fried wrote that his prior statements in favor of regulating cryptocurrency were "just PR," meaning public relations. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Andrew Kelly, Fried, Vox, Danielle Sassoon, Christian Everdell, Luc Cohen, Will Dunham Organizations: FTX, Manhattan, REUTERS, Twitter, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Manhattan, New York

☆ 'Wolf in cashmere' Bernard Arnault loses his slot as the world's 2nd-richest man to Jeff Bezos as LVMH stock slips
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jeff Bezos overtook LVMH tycoon Bernard Arnault as the world's second-richest man, per Bloomberg. AdvertisementAdvertisementLVMH founder Bernard Arnault is no longer the world's second-richest person, with his total wealth falling below Jeff Bezos' net worth amid signs of a slowdown in demand for luxury goods. In contrast, Bezos' fortune has ballooned by $49 billion to $156 billion, putting him just ahead of Arnault's $155 billion on Bloomberg's rich list. AdvertisementAdvertisementBoth Bezos and Arnault have previously held the title of the world's richest person, but they currently trail Elon Musk. The controversial X owner's personal fortune has swelled by $97 billion to $234 billion this year, thanks to Tesla's stock price surging by over 100%.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bernard Arnault, —, Louis Vuitton, Hennessy —, Bezos Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Federal, Elon

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's lieutenant Nishad Singh said he was embarrassed by 'flashy' FTX spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Singh testified at Bankman-Fried's trial that his concerns were almost always rebuffed. In Manhattan federal court Monday, Singh testified about how he frequently questioned and pushed back against Bankman-Fried's spending sprees and investment decisions — and was almost always rebuffed. "I would hear that my opinions were already factored in, and I didn't need to continue sharing them," Singh testified. Singh testified that he came to know Bankman-Fried through a friendship with the FTX founder's younger brother, Gabe Bankman-Fried. Infighting over expensesThe pair often disagreed on money, Singh testified.

Persons: Nishad Singh, Sam Bankman, Singh, —, Fried, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, spender, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Gabe Bankman, FTX, SBF, I've, Sam, Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Steph Curry, Kevin O'Leary, Larry David, Jon Kopaloff, Fatih Aktas, Getty Images Singh, Michael Kives, Hillary Clinton, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Ted Sarandos, Jeff Bezos, Kate Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Corey Gamble, Kendall Jenner, Singh wasn't, Kris Organizations: Service, Bankman, Alameda, US Securities and Exchange Commission, University of California, Facebook, Engineering, Sequoia Capital, Yuga, Miami, Major League Baseball, of Legends, Getty Images, Anadolu Agency, K5 Global Locations: Bankman, FTX, Manhattan, Berkeley, Alameda, Bahamas, Kazakhstan, Albany

☆ A biographer spent years following Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. Here's how he says they're alike — and how they're different
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Sarah Jackson | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Walter Isaacson trailed Elon Musk for years and interviewed Steve Jobs over 40 times to write their biographies. Elon Musk's biographer, Walter Isaacson, once said that the Tesla CEO was "in some ways the Steve Jobs of our time." AdvertisementAdvertisementBoth Musk and Jobs had a "dark streak""When I was reporting on Steve Jobs, his partner Steve Wozniak said that the big question to ask was 'Did he have to be so mean? AdvertisementAdvertisementIsaacson said Steve Jobs (left) took on the role of "alpha male" at Apple and "marginalized" his cofounder Steve Wozniak (right). "As much as I think Steve Jobs is a total genius, Steve Jobs would design a product, be it the Mac or the iPhone, and then it would be thrown over the wall to some manufacturing facility in China or something.

Persons: Walter Isaacson, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, —, Elon Musk's, Tesla, Jobs, Isaacson, Musk, Steve Wozniak, Grimes, " Isaacson, didn't, Kimberly White, Wozniak, Martin Eberhard, Tom Mueller, It's, Frederic J . BROWN, Musk's, Franz von Holzhausen Organizations: Service, Apple, Jobs, Twitter, SpaceX, Getty, Wall Street, Tesla, Economic, of New Locations: AFP, China, of New York

NEW YORK (AP) — Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer struggled through a meandering cross-examination of the FTX founder's former girlfriend Thursday, keeping both the judge and the public guessing as to the defense team's strategy in countering the testimony of the government's key witness. Ellison was the CEO of Alameda when it and FTX collapsed in November of last year. Ellison, 28, pleaded guilty to fraud charges in December, when Bankman-Fried was extradited to the United States from the Bahamas. Bankman-Fried, 31, was the majority owner and CEO of FTX until the crypto exchange filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11. “Maybe this is a good time for a break,” Cohen said after an hour of his cross-examination of Ellison.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Caroline Ellison, Fried, Ellison, FTX, Mark Cohen, Cohen, “, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, ” Cohen, Palo, Judge Kaplan Organizations: Alameda Research Locations: Alameda, United States, Bahamas, Ellison, Palo Alto , California

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Champion Trust Llc FollowNEW YORK, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's confidant Caroline Ellison will take the stand again at the FTX founder's trial on Thursday, where she could face questions about why she cooperated with prosecutors against her former boss and romantic partner. Bankman-Fried's attorney Mark Cohen is expected to continue cross-examining Ellison, whom he questioned for a few minutes on Wednesday before jurors went home for the day. FTX collapsed and declared bankruptcy in November 2022, shocking financial markets and destroying Bankman-Fried's reputation. A third cooperating witness, former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh, is also expected to testify at the trial, which could last up to six weeks. Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York Editing by Noeleen Walder and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman, Brendan McDermid, Ellison, Fried, Mark Cohen, FTX, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, Jody Godoy, Noeleen Walder, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Alameda, Federal Court, REUTERS, Bankman, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, Stanford University, Manhattan U.S, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Alameda, New York

☆ SBF's lawyers shouldn't be allowed to use his $500 million investment in AI firm Anthropic — which could used to pay back FTX customers — as evidence, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Anthropic looks set to be valued at $30 billion as it is in talks with Google for further investment. Prosecutors argue that the investment can't be used as evidence in Bankman-Fried's favor. AdvertisementAdvertisementProsecutors have asked the judge overseeing Sam Bankman-Fried's trial to stop the FTX founder's lawyers from referencing his $500 million investment in Anthropic. AdvertisementAdvertisementThat means Bankman-Fried's investment could be a major help in reimbursing the thousands of FTX customers who lost their money as the crypto exchange imploded last November. AdvertisementAdvertisementMichael Lewis, who interviewed Bankman-Fried more than 100 times for his biography, wrote that other FTX executives didn't approve of the Anthropic investment.

Persons: FTX, —, Sam Bankman, Lewis Kaplan, Damian Williams, Anthropic, Williams, Fried, Gary Wang, Michael Lewis, Bankman, didn't, Ramnik Arora, Lewis, Sam Organizations: Google, Prosecutors, Service, Amazon Locations: Anthropic, Bankman, Alameda

NEW YORK, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's college roommate and ex-colleague, Gary Wang, testified on Thursday at the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder's fraud trial that Bankman-Fried told him to give a hedge fund they co-owned special trading privileges on FTX. The special privileges granted to the hedge fund, Alameda Research, included a $65 billion line of credit, several orders of magnitude bigger than the amount other users were able to borrow, he said. He added that Bankman-Fried had directed him to implement the changes giving Alameda special privileges. Wang, 30, is the first of three former close associates of Bankman-Fried to testify at the trial, which began on Tuesday. Wang said Bankman-Fried decided to name the firm Alameda Research because it "makes it easier to do business if the name doesn't mention trading or cryptocurrency."

Persons: Sam Bankman, Gary Wang, Fried, Wang, FTX, FTX's, Mark Cohen, Matt Huang, Huang, Bankman, Nishad Singh, Caroline Ellison, Alameda's, Adam Yedidia, Yedidia, Sam, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Luc Cohen, Jody Godoy, Amy Stevens, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Alameda Research, Alameda, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Prosecutors, MIT, Stanford Law, Thomson Locations: Alameda, tatters, Manhattan, FTX, China, United States, Bahamas, Yedidia, New York

But FTX had asserted the opposite in an online post about a car race it sponsored in Miami Beach, Florida, six months before its November 2022 collapse. loadingAt Bankman-Fried's trial on Wednesday, prosecutors played for the jury FTX video advertisements in which a narrator said, "we're inviting everyone in," as well as spots featuring NFL quarterback Tom Brady and comedian Larry David. Bankman-Fried, 31, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud and five counts of conspiracy over the collapse of FTX. Mark Cohen, Bankman-Fried's lawyer, said his client never intended to steal funds. "But on the other hand, many factors that nobody controlled could make crypto go up and down in value.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Mark Cohen, Jane Rosenberg, FTX, Shaquille O'Neal, Tom Brady, Larry David, Bankman, Prosecutors, cryptocurrency, Thane Rehn, Fried, Rehn, Cohen, O'Neal, Brady, David, Luc Cohen, Jody Godoy, Amy Stevens, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Federal Court, REUTERS, Twitter, Miami Heat, Thomson Locations: Bankman, FTX, New York City, U.S, Miami Beach , Florida, New York

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's old penthouse roommate insisted on immunity before testifying because he feared he unwittingly facilitated a crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Yedidia insisted on immunity to testify because he was worried he may have facilitated a crime. AdvertisementAdvertisementBefore Adam Yedidia could testify against Sam Bankman-Fried at the FTX cofounder's criminal trial, he needed reassurances. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis courtroom sketch shows Adam Yedidia, former FTX and Alameda Research employee and former friend of Sam Bankman-Fried, testifying, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. In 2017, he worked at Alameda Research for two months as a trader before leaving to pursue a PhD. Yedidia said he lived in a $35 million penthouse apartment in the Bahamas, which he said Alameda Research purchased at Bankman-Fried's direction.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Adam Yedidia, Yedidia, —, Fried, Elizabeth Williams, Lewis Kaplan, who's, Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang, Prosecutors, Wang, Yedida Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, Alameda Research, AP, MIT Locations: Alameda, Manhattan, FTX, Bankman, Bahamas

Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyer tried to blame Caroline Ellison for FTX's collapse during opening statements. AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Bankman-Fried's defense attorney, Mark Cohen, took aim at the FTX cofounder's ex-girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, during his opening statements in the criminal trial over the collapse of FTX on Wednesday. Bankman-Fried is on trial in Manhattan federal court on charges that he defrauded FTX customers and investors out of billions of dollars. AdvertisementAdvertisementMeanwhile, prosecutor Thane Rehn told the jury that Bankman-Fried stole more than $10 billion from FTX customers, all while telling customers they could access their money at any time. "When customers put money in FTX, he stole it.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Caroline Ellison, —, Mark Cohen, Cohen, Fried, Ellison, Ellison didn't, What's, who'd, Thane Rehn, Rehn Organizations: Service, Alameda Research, New York Times, Reuters Locations: FTX, Alameda, Manhattan

REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Champion Trust Llc FollowNEW YORK, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's father and brother, as well as Donald Trump's former spokesman Anthony Scaramucci, are among possible witnesses at the cryptocurrency exchange founder's fraud trial, according to a list read by a prosecutor in court on Tuesday. There is no guarantee that Scaramucci, Bankman-Fried's father Joseph Bankman or his brother Gabriel Bankman-Fried will testify during the trial, which is expected to last six weeks and kicked off on Tuesday with jury selection. Prosecutor Danielle Sassoon read the list of dozens of names - which included both proposed prosecution and defense witnesses - to see if any prospective jurors knew them. Scaramucci's alternative investment firm SkyBridge Capital once owned a stake in FTX, Bankman-Fried's cryptocurrency exchange which declared bankruptcy in November 2022 amid a flurry of customer withdrawals. The now-bankrupt fund is fully owned by Bankman-Fried and former FTX executive Gary Wang, court filings show.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Christian Everdell, Jane Rosenberg, Donald Trump's, Anthony Scaramucci, Joseph Bankman, Gabriel Bankman, Danielle Sassoon, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Bankman, Kaplan, Gary Wang, Nicolas Roos, Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh, Ellison, Jody Godoy, Luc Cohen, Amy Stevens, Lincoln, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Federal Court, REUTERS, SkyBridge, Alameda Research, District, Insight Partners, Bankman, Manhattan U.S, Thomson Locations: FTX, New York City, U.S, Alameda, Alameda ., New York

REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 3 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud trial, which is set to kick off on Tuesday, marks the culmination of a yearlong legal saga stemming from the dramatic collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded. Below is a timeline of key events leading up to the 31-year-old former billionaire's trial. MAY 2019Bankman-Fried and former Google employee Gary Wang found FTX as a new platform to trade crypto tokens and derivatives. Alameda gives crypto lender Voyager Digital a $200 million credit facility, and FTX gives lender BlockFi a $250 million loan. In a post-arrest blog post, Bankman-Fried denies stealing funds and blames FTX's collapse on a broader downturn in crypto markets.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Eduardo Munoz, Gary Wang, Larry David, Fried, CoinDesk, Binance, FTX, Changpeng Zhao, David, Tom Brady, Wang, Caroline Ellison, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Nishad Singh, Kaplan revokes, Luc Cohen, Noeleen Walder, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jane Street Capital, Alameda Research, Google, Forbes, Alameda, NFL, DEC, U.S, District, New York Times, Metropolitan Detention Center, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Alameda, Bahamas, Manhattan, United States, Palo Alto , California

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried met with the prime minister of the Bahamas to discuss paying off the country's entire roughly $10 billion national debt, biography says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

So he met with its prime minister to discuss paying off its whole national debt, per Michael Lewis' biography. AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Bankman-Fried once discussed paying off the Bahamas' entire national debt with the country's prime minister, according to an excerpt of Michael Lewis' upcoming biography shared by The Times of London. So Bankman-Fried started considering the idea of paying off the Bahamas' national debt himself, so the country could fix roads and build schools more easily, according to Lewis. That idea was also discussed in a meeting with the prime minister of the Bahamas, Philip Davis, the biography says. The Office of the Prime Minister of the Bahamas did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.

Persons: FTX, SBF, Michael Lewis, —, Sam Bankman, Fried, Lewis —, Lewis, Philip Davis, Davis, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, The Times, CBS, International Monetary Fund Locations: Hong Kong, Bahamas, Caribbean, London, —, Nassau

☆ Joe Biden has a decision to make about Julian Assange
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

A small group of lawyers and media executives gathered in a well-appointed back room to listen to Gabriel Shipton, Assange's half-brother. In the case of Vault 7, WikiLeaks' source turned out to be a disgruntled former C.I.A employee. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn New York, Gabriel Shipton, Assange's half-brother, declined to rule out the possibility of a plea deal. Every time the Australian government raises this issue, the Chinese government puts out a statement about Julian Assange. Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, right, was part of a delegation of Australian officials in the US to press for the release of Julian Assange.

Persons: Julian Assange, Assange, Gabriel Shipton, Tucker Carlson, Tucker, Shipton, he'd, Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Monique Ryan, Albanese, Mike Pompeo, Caroline Kennedy, Der Spiegel, El Pais, David Hicks, Julian, John Shipton, Assange's, John, Gabriel, Brett Assange, Peter Whish, Wilson, We've, Robert Carr, Chelsea Manning's, Obama, We're, Cheng Lei, —, Chelsea Manning, Manning, What's, Julian Assange's, John MacDougall, …, they'd, he's, John Young, Laura Poitras's, Mueller, Robert Mueller's, John Podesta's, Bernie Sanders, John Koeltl, They've, Donald, Trump, we've, James Comey, Hillary Clinton, He's, I'm, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, I've, Putin, exfiltrate Assange, Julian wasn't, Dana Rohrabacher, Rohrabacher, Jennifer Robinson, Tracey Nearmy, we'd, Marjorie Taylor, Greene, Antony Blinken, Biden, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, WikiLeaks, Washington Post, Washington, DOJ, The Washington, Australia's Labor Party, New, Biden, Senate Intelligence, Justice Department, New York Times, Guardian, Chelsea, Pentagon, Getty, Justice, The State Department, Laura Poitras's WikiLeaks, State Department, DNC, Democratic, Committee, Democratic National Convention, of, Russian Federation, Novaya Gazeta, Trump, CIA, The Justice Locations: New York, London, Assange's, Pacific, Ecuadorian, Washington, Russia, Australia, Shipton, Brig, Chelsea, Iraq, Australian, China, American, Moscow, Getty Shipton, … Shipton, Cryptome, There's, Southern, of New York, Russian, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Panama, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ Evergrande sold yacht this year, say sources, as creditors sharpen focus on offshore assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Scott Murdoch | Thomson Reuters | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The yacht "Event", which is believed to be owned by China Evergrande, is docked in Hong Kong, China October 11, 2021. Evergrande's offshore bondholders are expected to sharpen their focus on offshore assets as the developer's debt restructuring plan flounders with the founder now being investigated over suspected "illegal crimes". Compared to its $31.7 billion in total offshore liabilities, Evergrande has far fewer assets outside China. Of the remaining offshore assets of the company and its founder, creditors would need to establish whether they have already been used as collateral to raise funds. Foreign bondholders' "ability to get to these (offshore) assets is a function of the legal claim - has he (Chairman Hui) pledged it?"

Persons: China Evergrande, Tyrone Siu, Evergrande, Hui Ka Yan, Hui, Scott Murdoch, Julie Zhu, Marc Jones, Sumeet Chatterjee Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, China Evergrande, HK, Reuters, Boeing, Gulfstream, Wall Street Journal, Thomson Locations: China, Hong Kong, Sydney, London, Lincoln

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's mom says prosecutors and bankruptcy estate are 'McCarthyite' and on a 'relentless pursuit of total destruction'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Barbara Fried said the prosecutors and FTX Debtors were on a "relentless pursuit of total destruction." AdvertisementAdvertisementSam Bankman-Fried's mom hit out at prosecutors and the FTX Debtors ahead of the crypto-exchange founder's trial next Tuesday, The New Yorker reported. In an email to the publication, Barbara Fried described the prosecutors and bankruptcy estate as "McCarthyite" and on a "relentless pursuit of total destruction." AdvertisementAdvertisementThe FTX Debtors filed a lawsuit against Bankman-Fried's parents last Monday, accusing them of siphoning millions of dollars from the crypto exchange. The FTX Debtors and Fried's attorney did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside US working hours.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Barbara Fried, —, Joe Bankman, FTX, Fried, Sam, Joe doesn't Organizations: Service, Yorker, Bankman, PAC, New Locations: Bahamas, New Yorker, Alameda

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