Crypto derivatives exchange FTX raises $900M from SoftBank, Sequoia, and others, valuing it at $18B; CryptoCompare: FTX handles $10B+/day in trades on average
Capital Raise Pushes Exchange Valuation to $18 Billion Michelle Lim / Forkast : FTX crypto derivatives exchange closes record $900M Series B with $18B valuation Tweets: SBF / @sbf_alameda : 1) I'm deeply humbled by the support we've gotten from our new partners: https://www.forbes.com/... Forbes Crypto / @forbescrypto : SCOOP: Binance, an early investor and a strategic partner of FTX, has recently given up its equity stake in the company, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao told Forbes. https://on.forbes.com/... Wiza Jalakasi / @wizaj : $900m Series B 😳 https://twitter.com/... Chocolate / @speccablehawee : Congratulations Sam ❤️, from all of us at #FTXAfrica. CC @FTXAfrica https://twitter.com/... @kevinrose : Fantastic exchange, fantastic founder. https://twitter.com/... Marcelo Claure / @marceloclaure : Crypto derivatives exchange company @FTX_Official, led by its incredible founder @SBF_Alameda, is making crypto history & @SoftBank is thrilled to be part of their journey as an investor alongside @paradigm and @RibbitCapital https://www.forbes.com/... Alfred Lin / @alfred_lin : .@FTX_Official is the high-quality, global crypto exchange the world needs, and it has the potential to become the leading financial exchange for all types of assets. We @sequoia are honored to partner with @SBF_Alameda and the team on this journey. https://twitter.com/... Amy Wu / @amytongwu : Hard to believe @FTX_Official was founded only 2 years ago. @SBF_Alameda and team are a force at the intersection of crypto, fintech, and beyond. @lightspeedvp is thrilled to partner with you guys! https://twitter.com/... Carter / @moneywithcarter : Sam becomes the richest crypto billionaire in the world at age 29. 17 billion dollars. Absolutely incredible, and a shining example of the industry. Extremely bullish FTX, and it's only been two years. Hats off to them! https://twitter.com/... @wsjmarkets : Cryptocurrency exchange FTX has raised money at an $18 billion valuation, highlighting investors' continued excitement for digital money like bitcoin https://www.wsj.com/... @masasoncap : Oh my! Another SoftBank investment in the space! “There are two main goals of the raise. One is forming partnerships with people who we are really excited about and can help grow our business and make a lot of connections for us. The second is having more capital for M&A.” https://twitter.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
This financing marked the opening of a rapid valuation climb: FTX later added a $420.69M round at a $25B valuation and then a $400M Series C at $32B. The same investor set, including SoftBank and Paradigm, also backed FTX.US separately.
The later arc makes the early institutional endorsement consequential: reporting on FTX's fundraising scramble described internal accounting that obscured FTX-Alameda transfers, while separate reporting alleged overlap in assets presented by the two operations.
First-order effects
- FTX gains $900M of fresh capital and a markedly higher valuation benchmark, while SoftBank, Sequoia, Paradigm, Ribbit Capital, and Lightspeed become prominent financial backers.
- The reported $10B-plus average daily trading volume strengthens FTX's immediate pitch to customers and investors as a liquid venue for crypto derivatives.
Second-order effects
- FTX's new valuation and investor roster raise the competitive bar for Binance and other crypto exchanges seeking institutional capital and trading customers.
- Successive rounds at higher valuations let FTX and its U.S. affiliate pursue distinct financing tracks, culminating in FTX.US's first outside round at an $8B valuation.
Third-order effects
- The sequence shows how exchange liquidity metrics and elite venture backing can reinforce one another, concentrating attention and capital in a small set of platforms.
- The later allegations around FTX and Alameda show the governance risk in treating fundraising momentum and reported operating scale as substitutes for transparent separation between affiliated firms.
The trend: Crypto-market infrastructure was attracting frontier-scale venture capital, while the FTX record illustrates why rapid platform financing heightens the importance of governance and disclosure.