John Ray, who took over as CEO of crypto alternate FTX amid chapter proceedings, has offered detailed written testimony forward of his Dec. 13 look earlier than america Home Monetary Providers Committee.
In testimony made out there for the “Investigating the Collapse of FTX, Half I” listening to, Ray reiterated lots of the claims made in chapter courtroom, saying the collapse of the collapse was due partially to “absolutely the focus of management within the palms of a really small group of grossly inexperienced and unsophisticated people.” Ray, who oversaw the liquidation of vitality firm Enron through the early 2000s, added that the management at FTX had “didn’t implement nearly any of the programs or controls” vital to guard client property.
“By no means in my profession have I seen such an utter failure of company controls at each stage of a company, from the shortage of economic statements to an entire failure of any inner controls or governance in any way,” mentioned Ray.
The FTX CEO additionally countered claims by his predecessor, Sam Bankman-Fried, scheduled to look nearly on the identical listening to. Bankman-Fried has mentioned in lots of interviews following the alternate’s chapter submitting that FTX US — the derivatives alternate beneath FTX Group — was possible solvent and able to making customers entire beneath sure circumstances.
Nevertheless, based on Ray’s written assertion, “FTX US was not operated independently of FTX.com” and a Chapter 11 submitting was essential to keep away from a financial institution run:
“For the reason that time of the submitting, I’ve develop into much more assured this was the right choice, because the books and information points at FTX US and the various relationships between FTX US and the opposite FTX Group firms develop into clearer.”
The FTX CEO mentioned on Nov. 16 that Bankman-Fried “has no ongoing function” on the agency or its subsidiaries, and “doesn’t communicate on their behalf.” SBF has continued to provide interviews detailing his function within the occasions main as much as the alternate’s downfall as a part of an ‘apology tour’.
Ray’s breakdown of the occasions main as much as the chapter submitting included buyer property from FTX “commingled” with property from Alameda Analysis, with the hedge fund utilizing mentioned property for margin buying and selling and exposing clients to “to huge losses.” As well as, FTX Group went on a “spending binge” from 2021 to 2022, buying corporations and making investments ofroughly $5 billion.
Associated: SBF misses the Senate listening to however guarantees to testify to the Home: Regulation Decoded
The Home committee listening to would be the second exploring the collapse of FTX following a Dec. 1 listening to of the Senate Agriculture Committee, by which Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee chair Rostin Behnam was the only real witness. The Senate Banking Committee has additionally scheduled a listening to for Dec. 14, with Hollywood star Ben McKenzie, investor Kevin O’Leary, regulation professor Hilary Allen, and Jennifer Schulp, the director of economic regulation research on the Cato Institute’s Middle for Financial and Monetary Options, showing as witnesses.
