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FTX alleges former exec used ‘hush money’ to silence whistleblowers

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FTX has filed a lawsuit against a former regulatory and compliance executive at the exchange, alleging he made a series of payments attempting to prevent staff from blowing the whistle about the exchange’s issues.

On June 27, FTX filed a lawsuit against Daniel Friedberg who held multiple roles including chief regulatory officer at FTX, chief compliance officer of FTX US and general counsel at Alameda Research.

FTX claims Friedberg was a “fixer” for the exchange’s co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried — whose father urged for Friedberg to be given a major role, as per the complaint:

“Joe Bankman, Bankman-Fried’s father, urged Bankman-Fried and others to give Friedberg a central role and to keep Friedberg ‘in the loop…so we have one person on top of everything.’”

Friedberg allegedly made “hush money” payments to two potential whistleblowers to stop them from leaking information about “regulatory issues” and the alleged close ties between FTX and Alameda.

In one alleged incident, Friedberg retained the attorney of a whistleblower after he paid them “thereby buying or otherwise ensuring their silence,” the suit reads.

In the 40-page filing, FTX unleashed 11 civil charges that, among other claims, alleged Friedberg breached his legal duties and approved a series of fraudulent transfers and “loans” to other former FTX execs.

According to the suit, Friedberg’s 22-month stint at the exchange saw him given a $300,000 salary, a signing bonus of $1.4 million, a separate $3 million cash bonus, an 8% equity in FTX US and crypto “worth tens of millions” — all of which FTX is seeking to claw back.

Some parts of the complaint, especially those pertaining to the amounts the whistleblowers were paid, are redacted.

An example of a redacted section of the suit regarding one of the whistleblowers. Source: Kroll

In one alleged March 2022 incident, Friedberg gave an “extraordinary settlement” to a female FTX US employee named “Whistleblower-1” who worked “for less than two months” at the United States-based exchange on a $200,000 salary.

FTX also alleged he initiated a $12 million deal to retain Whistleblower-1’s attorney after the settlement.

The settlement was in response to a demand letter from Whistleblower-1 claiming “Alameda [was] nothing more than an extension of FTX, used to bolster investor confidence in FTX projects, and in turn drive up the prices of projects FTX had developed or invested in itself,” according to the suit.

FTX redacted the amount paid to Whistleblower-1. Source: Kroll

The former employee also claimed “details regarding company fundraising and various projects were disclosed openly” on Slack which they claimed allowed “all employees present to make trades on the information prior to public announcements.”

Friedberg allegedly contacted the law firm for Whistleblower-1 after the settlement and signed an agreement that saw the firm retained for “more than $200,000 per month for five years,” even though there was “no genuine need” for the services, the suit claimed.

In another alleged instance, Friedberg reportedly fired an attorney working for Alameda dubbed “Whistleblower-2” after they “became concerned about governance and regulatory issues” within the business.

The person worked at Alameda for less than three months, FTX claimed, but they still received a severance package — which was redacted in the filing.

Related: Realtor may have accepted $3M for SBF-linked house in Washington DC

A June 26 report by FTX restructuring chief John Ray alleged an unnamed senior attorney “facilitated and covered up” the comingling of customer funds.

The same day, The Wall Street Journal reported the unnamed attorney was Daniel Friedberg, citing people familiar with the matter.

Friedberg was also named as a person who gave information to investigators with the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Additionally, a class action lawsuit against celebrities who allegedly promoted FTX also said Friedberg provided evidence that potentially rebuts key defenses made by some of the defendants.

Friedberg could not be immediately contacted for comment.

Magazine: $3.4B of Bitcoin in a popcorn tin — The Silk Road hacker’s story

Update (June 28, 4:50 am UTC): This article has been updated with further information from the filing.

Cryptocurrency

Coinbase Tanks 11% Pre-Market After $1.5B Q2 Revenue Miss

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Coinbase shares fell sharply after the company reported second-quarter earnings that missed expectations. Total revenue for the quarter came in at $1.5 billion, representing a 26% decline from the previous quarter.

The shortfall was largely driven by weaker-than-expected transaction revenue, which fell 39% quarter-over-quarter to $764 million.

Missing Expectations

In the official release, Coinbase revealed that its subscription and services revenue also declined 6% to $656 million. Despite efforts to reduce variable costs, operating expenses climbed 15% to $1.5 billion. Coinbase attributed this largely to the $307 million hit related to the data breach disclosed in May.

The crypto exchange recorded a net income of $1.4 billion, but this figure included $1.5 billion in pre-tax unrealized gains from strategic investments, including in Circle, as well as a $362 million pre-tax gain from its crypto investment portfolio. On an adjusted basis, net income stood at just $33 million, with adjusted EBITDA reaching $512 million.

Coinbase’s trading activity also underperformed the broader crypto spot market, as global and US crypto spot volumes declined 31% and 32% respectively. Meanwhile, its total trading volume fell 40% to $237 billion, and the consumer segment witnessed a 45% drop to $43 billion.

Consumer transaction revenue plunged 41% to $650 million, as volume shifted toward Simple trades amid low volatility. Institutional transaction revenue also saw a similar pattern, down 38% in both volume and revenue.

While Base Chain activity grew, other transaction revenue dropped 21% as average revenue per transaction declined.

As of the close on the previous trading day, Coinbase (COIN) shares were priced at $377.76, up slightly by $0.28. However, pre-market trading shows a sharp decline, with the stock down $42.30 (-11.20%) to $335.46. This steep drop suggests a strong negative reaction from investors, likely in response to recent earnings results.

Despite grappling with declining revenues and rising costs, Coinbase is doubling down on product innovation.

“Everything App”

Earlier this month, Coinbase rebranded its Wallet as the Base app, launching a crypto-focused “everything app” that merges trading, social media, USDC payments, mini-apps, and tokenized posts.

Announced at its “A New Day One” conference, the app runs on Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 network and integrates Farcaster for social feeds, Zora for post tokenization, and encrypted XMTP chat. Users can earn from tips, interact with AI agents, and make one-tap payments.

The platform also introduced Base Pay for Shopify merchants and plans 1% USDC cashback in the US. The app is in beta, while a full public release and developer tools are expected soon.

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Dogecoin Slides 8% but Long-Term Channel Holds, Can DOGE Rebound?

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TL;DR

  • Dogecoin dropped to $0.20, moving in a $0.23 to $0.20 range during heavy selling.
  • Analysts see support in the long-term channel and a wedge pattern aiming for $0.265.
  • Large holders bought 310 million coins, while Bit Origin added 40 million to reserves.

Dogecoin Records Sharp Daily Decline

Dogecoin (DOGE) fell 8% in the past 24 hours, dropping from $0.22 to $0.21. This was one of the steepest daily moves for the token in July. The price action moved within a $0.23 to $0.20 range, facing resistance at the top and heavy selling near the session close.

However, trading volumes spiked, with a midnight surge to 1.25 billion DOGE, which points to large liquidations and cascading sell orders from leveraged positions. 

Dogecoin trades at $0.20 as of press time, down 11% over the past week, giving it a market cap of $31 billion.

Long-Term Channel Remains Intact

Trader Tardigrade shared a 1-month chart showing DOGE inside a long-term ascending channel that has held since 2014. DOGE has often bounced from the lower boundary of this channel, shown in pink on the chart.

Meanwhile, the current price is near the lower-middle part of the channel, an area that has led to multi-month rallies when the trend held. Dogecoin’s long-term structure stays intact while it trades within this ascending channel, even after the recent decline.

In addition, Trader Tardigrade also noted that Dogecoin’s monthly candle closed as the third consecutive bullish engulfing candle, which he described as a setup for a potential “move to Valhalla.”

Short-Term Wedge and Institutional Activity

Ali Martinez noted that DOGE may be forming a falling wedge on the 1-hour chart, with a projected target of $0.265. A move above $0.229–$0.230 would confirm bullish momentum, while $0.215–$0.210 remains key support if the wedge fails.

Institutional wallets acquired 310 million DOGE during the correction. Bit Origin added 40 million DOGE to its treasury under a $500 million diversification program. Broader crypto markets remain pressured by macroeconomic uncertainty, with inflation and equity risk shaping short-term demand.

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Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) Presale Picks Up Pace as Ethereum (ETH) Hovers Over $3,600

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[PRESS RELEASE – Covina, United States, August 1st, 2025]

Within the Ethereum ecosystem, Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) has entered its presale phase. Described as a meme token with integrated utility and cultural references, $PEPD introduces a tokenomics structure intended for long-term application. Certain Ethereum wallet holders have initiated ETH transfers to the presale, indicating early transactional activity.

Overview of $PEPD’s Positioning

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) enters the market as a parody token referencing central banking themes, aiming to engage users through cultural commentary and decentralized finance (DeFi) mechanisms. Unlike traditional meme tokens, which often adopt simplified or repetitive token structures, $PEPD integrates design elements that combine cultural motifs associated with Pepecoin and components of DeFi architecture.

Comparison to Prior Meme Tokens

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) enters the Ethereum ecosystem following the emergence of other meme tokens such as Pepecoin ($PEPE), $BONK, $LILPEPE, and $HYPER. The $PEPD model incorporates a tokenomics framework that includes a burn mechanism framed as a commentary on centralization. Its listing on CoinMarketCap has contributed to broader visibility. On-chain data indicates that several large Ethereum wallets have begun transacting with the token during its presale phase.

Pepe Dollar Presale – ETH’s Capital Rotation

Pepe Dollar’s presale architecture and project identity offer a compelling setup:

Presale Fundamentals:

  • Current Price: $0.004688
  • Tokens Sold: 166,938,905
  • Next Presale Price (Stage 2): $0.006495
  • Launch Price: $0.03695

Tokenomics and Supply

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) will have a fixed supply of 3.6951 billion tokens. According to the project, 29% of the total supply is scheduled to be permanently removed at launch through a mechanism termed the “Federal Burn,” which is framed as a symbolic reference to traditional inflationary monetary systems.

Additional details disclosed by the development team include:

  • No developer tax mechanisms
  • No backdoor unlock functions
  • A publicly documented tokenomics model

Ethereum-Native Infrastructure

Pepe Dollar is designed to launch natively on Ethereum and integrate with existing Ethereum-based DeFi tools. The protocol includes functionality to support a meme asset minting platform, enabling users to create, deploy, and govern new assets using $PEPD. The project describes itself as operating at the intersection of cultural commentary and decentralized finance.

Project Links and Official Channels

About Pepe Dollar ($PEPD)

Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) is a decentralized Layer-2 payment infrastructure designed for the meme economy. Positioned as a satirical digital asset, $PEPD offers an alternative approach to traditional financial systems and aims to facilitate value creation within decentralized ecosystems.

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