The psychological tango between the heads of Binance and FTX might have a longer-term affect past the worth drop of the latter change’s native token. Industry individuals chimed in earlier than information got here out in regards to the firms’ potential merge.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao tweeted Tuesday morning that the change had signed a non-binding letter of intent to completely purchase FTX.com.
The information comes after Alameda Research’s stability sheet, reported by CoinDesk final Wednesday, confirmed about 40% of the agency’s $14.6 billion of belongings have been attributed to FTT, the token that powers trades on FTX.
Alameda Research was based by FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
Solana (SOL), the cryptocurrency behind the blockchain backed by Bankman-Fried, accounted for about 8% of Alameda’s belongings.
Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison rebuffed claims on Sunday that the agency is on the verge of insolvency, tweeting that the leaked stability sheet didn’t present the total scope of Alameda’s belongings.
Zhao later tweeted he would liquidate his agency’s substantial FTT holdings.
FTT was buying and selling at $14.65 at 11:00 am ET, down about 36% within the final 24 hours. FTT soared after the disclosure of the alleged impending Binance buyout, reaching $18.55 by 11:30 a.m. ET.
SOL, which was at $27.60 at 11:00 am ET — down roughly 15% from a day in the past — went as much as $30.36 a half hour later.
Ryan Shea, a crypto economist at finance dealer Trakx, mentioned the weekend scenario between Binance and FTX got here at an unlucky time for the broader crypto market.
Bitcoin is down about 72% from its all-time excessive reached final November. It had rebounded final week, rising above $21,000, however bitcoin’s value was down 5.5% within the final seven days, as of 11:00 am ET. Bitcoin too rebounded following Binance’s acknowledged intent to purchase FTX.
“The nascent recovery in crypto prices is being jeopardized by negative sentiment,” Shea mentioned in an electronic mail.
“And after the torrid summer we experienced — not to mention the still troubling macro backdrop — the last thing the sector needs is more rumors of potentially dubious or nefarious behavior,” he mentioned.
Marius Ciubotariu, a core contributor to Solana-based Hubble Protocol and Kamino Finance, mentioned earlier than the acquisition information that Binance maybe noticed a possibility to get the sting on a competitor extra favored by US regulators.
“Unfortunately, it may never be possible to tell who is in the right because, simply by taking this action, Binance has an enormous influence on the outcome for FTX,” he added.
What’s the longer-term affect?
Blockworks Research Analyst Matthew Feibach additionally famous earlier than Zhao’s tweet Tuesday morning that the so-called feud between Binance and FTX may gain advantage the area within the medium time period.
“People may lose confidence in [centralized exchanges], learn about self custody and operate on chain,” he mentioned. “An added bonus, it could help make ETH deflationary.”
Other trade watchers had mentioned the scenario between Binance and FTX might elongate crypto winter.
“Uncertainty is bad for markets,” mentioned Peter Eberle, chief funding officer and president of Castle Funds. “This is one more example why people should keep their crypto on their wallets. Only use exchanges — DeFi or traditional — for trading, and then keep your tokens [and] coins on a hardware wallet off of exchanges. ‘Not your keys, not your coins!’”
Mark Fidelman, founding father of SmartBlocks, mentioned he believed Zhao’s swipe at FTX might lengthen the trade downturn, however maybe solely barely. But previous to the pending acquisition information, he mentioned he anticipated the leaders of Binance and FTX to make amends.
Shea mentioned the timeline for crypto regulation could possibly be impacted as properly. Some mentioned the Biden administration’s crypto framework, unveiled in September, was missing in particulars, because the president referred to as for but extra analysis on a possible digital greenback.
“If the latest episode serves to speed up crypto regulation, then it could be just the catalyst that brings crypto to a wider audience, and this is a good thing,” Shea mentioned.
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