A representative for FTX did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the deal or the SEC investigation.
FTX and Binance did not disclose the terms of their agreement, and markets face fresh uncertainty over whether it will proceed.
REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration 1 2Prior to the Binance proposed deal, Bankman-Fried approached cryptocurrency exchange OKX on Monday morning about a deal, but the exchange declined to move forward.
"It has been a truly a devastating year for the industry," said Ryan Wong, a senior researcher at crypto exchange Huobi.
"This could be a major source of risk to crypto markets," Lai wrote.