Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX, recently disclosed his long-standing intention to sell the exchange to the crypto giant Binance. This revelation, made during a court session on October 27, sheds light on a fascinating chapter in the world of cryptocurrency trading and mergers.

Bankman-Fried, who co-founded FTX with Gary Wang in 2019, originally built the exchange with a specific goal in mind: to cater to a niche market and eventually become an acquisition target for Binance. At the time of FTX’s inception, cryptocurrency exchanges were yet to offer margin trading capabilities, and Bankman-Fried saw an opportunity. He believed that FTX could become the go-to choice for traders seeking leveraged positions, and this vision played a pivotal role in his hopes for Binance to acquire the company.

CZ and Sam Bankman-Fried

According to Bankman-Fried, one of the biggest challenges in the early days of FTX was attracting users. Effective marketing strategies, however, saw the exchange’s user base grow significantly. By 2019, FTX had generated $20 million in revenue. Fast forward to 2021, and the exchange was reportedly raking in $3 million per day.

Before FTX’s unfortunate collapse, Binance had expressed interest in acquiring the exchange. However, this potential deal fell through, leaving many in the crypto community wondering about the reasons behind it.

Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance, provided some insight into this failed acquisition attempt, saying, “The issues at FTX were beyond our control and support capabilities.” It’s a cryptic statement that hints at the complexities and challenges that plagued FTX in its later years.

It’s important to note that Binance had been an early investor in FTX. In the past, Bankman-Fried’s exchange had even acquired a stake in Binance through a $2.1 billion investment in the form of FTT tokens and other assets. However, the FTT token suffered a liquidity crisis in November 2022 after CZ’s company sold a significant amount of the tokens it held.

This liquidity crisis prompted FTX to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy at the end of last year, causing a significant panic in the cryptocurrency market. At that time, the exchange revealed its inability to meet withdrawal demands due to not holding users’ assets in a 1:1 reserve ratio.

Source: https://azcoinnews.com/sam-bankman-frieds-early-desire-to-sell-ftx-to-binance.html