Sam Bankman-Fried's Trial: BlockFi's CEO Discloses Billion-Dollar Loss, Links with Alameda

<p>BlockFi's CEO Zac Prince testified today
(Friday) in the ongoing case against Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF),
highlighting a billion-dollar loss incurred by his crypto lending firm in
connection with Alameda Research and FTX. </p><p>According to a report by Coindesk, BlockFi's
involvement with Alameda Research began between 2020 and 2021. Prince mentioned
the existence of loan agreements between the two companies. Subsequently,
BlockFi had extended up to USD $1 billion to Alameda as of May 2022.</p><p>Alameda Repaid Initial Loan in Full</p><p>BlockFi's troubles began when it experienced
significant losses due to the collapse of the Terra Luna crypto ecosystem. To
recover these losses, the lending firm initiated a process to retrieve its
loans from Alameda. Surprisingly, the jury was informed that Alameda Research
repaid all the borrowed funds, leading to <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/blockfi/" target="_blank" rel="follow">BlockFi</a> offering new loans worth $850
million to the company. </p><p>Besides its relationship with Alameda, BlockFi was a
customer of FTX. It allegedly held the collateral provided by Alameda Research
on FTX and managed customer funds amounting to around $350 million on the
<a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/terms/e/exchange/">exchange</a>. BlockFi found itself in a tough financial situation, ultimately
losing "a little over a billion dollars" due to its ties with Alameda
and FTX. This loss forced BlockFi to declare bankruptcy.</p><p>Assistant US Attorney Nicholas Roos asked Prince to
explain why BlockFi filed for <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/terms/b/bankruptcy/">bankruptcy</a>. Prince clarified that the financial
impairment of its funds on <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/ftx/" target="_blank" rel="follow">FTX </a>and loans to Alameda prompted the decision,
though bankruptcy might have still been a possibility later.</p><p>Alameda's Downfall and Ongoing
Controversies</p><p>However, the apparently strong partnership between
BlockFi and <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/tag/alameda-research/" target="_blank" rel="follow">Alameda Research</a> worsened when the hedge fund collapsed in November
2022. Despite additional collateral in the form of FTT, Robinhood shares, and
Grayscale trust shares, a significant sum remained outstanding, eventually
contributing to BlockFi's billion-dollar loss. </p><p>In July, BlockFi faced heightened scrutiny after
creditors alleged that Prince was aware of FTX's unstable financial condition
before its collapse. According to the Committee of Unsecured Creditors in a
court filing submitted in May, as cited by Decrypt, BlockFi was aware of
Alameda Research's overexposure to FTT as early as August 2021. Despite these
concerns, Prince allegedly dismissed the risks, allowing Alameda
Research to receive loans, primarily collateralized by
the FTT token. </p>

This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.