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Factbox-What are FTX's investors saying?

Published 11/16/2022, 07:36 AM
Updated 11/17/2022, 06:31 AM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FTX logo is seen in this illustration taken, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

(Reuters) -FTX, formerly one of the world's largest crypto exchanges, is seeking new funding after a rush of customer withdrawals left it on the brink of collapse.

Regulators froze some assets of the digital currency exchange and industry peers are trying to limit losses, while former FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried is coming under scrutiny.

Founded in 2019, FTX expanded rapidly and was valued at $32 billion in January 2022 during a fundraising exercise.

Here's what investors in FTX are saying now:

SOFTBANK

The total investment of SoftBank Group Corp's Vision Fund in the U.S. and international operations of FTX is less than $100 million, a source close to SoftBank said on Friday.

SoftBank is marking down its FTX investments to zero, the source said. The complications at FTX are the latest difficulty for the Vision Fund, hit in recent quarters by a global tech rout.

SEQUOIA CAPITAL

Sequoia Capital said on Wednesday it would mark down its total investments in FTX to $0.

On Twitter, Sequoia said its Global Growth Fund III invested $150 million in FTX.com and FTX US, which accounted for less than 3% of the fund's committed capital, while the Sequoia Capital Global Equities fund invested $63.5 million.

"The fund remains in good shape," it said.

ONTARIO TEACHERS PENSION PLAN

The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (OTPP) said on Thursday it had invested a total of $95 million in FTX.

Any financial loss from the exposure will have limited impact on the pension plan, OTTP said.

TEMASEK

Singapore's state investor Temasek Holdings said on Thursday it would write down the value of its full investment in collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, irrespective of the outcome of its bankruptcy filing.

Temasek said it invested a total of $275 million for a minority stake of about 1% in FTX International and about 1.5% in FTX U.S.

In a statement, Temasek said that during eight months of due diligence in 2021, it had reviewed "FTX's audited financial statement, which showed it to be profitable". Temasek did not have a board seat, it said.

"It is apparent from this investment that perhaps our belief in the actions, judgment and leadership of Sam Bankman-Fried, formed from our interactions with him and views expressed in our discussions with others, would appear to have been misplaced," Temasek added.

CIRCLE

Fintech company Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said on Twitter on Wednesday, "Circle is a tiny equity holder of FTX, and FTX is a tiny equity holder of Circle."

PARADIGM

Crypto investment giant Paradigm, which raised a $2.5 billion investment fund in November 2021, told investors in a letter that it had invested $278 million in FTX, or 3.2% of the firm's total assets.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: FTX logo is seen in this illustration taken, November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

"It is possible that other Paradigm portfolio companies could be impacted by these events, and we are actively partnering with founders to help," it said in the Nov. 9 letter.

The firm has written the investment down to zero.

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