CoinDesk, a news and events technology company, has just achieved a major journalistic coup: a prestigious Loeb Award, often called the Pulitzer Prize for business journalism. The honor was achieved in part thanks to Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of derivatives exchange FTX, who provided invaluable contributions to a feature article on derivatives markets. This marks a landmark moment for CoinDesk, and recognizes both its dedication to exploring the growing world of cryptocurrency, and Bankman-Fried’s own passionate commitment to informing and liberating the world of finance.
1. Sam Bankman-Fried’s Scoop Earns CoinDesk Loeb Award
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of the cryptocurrency derivatives exchange FTX, has been awarded the Loeb Award by CoinDesk’s most recent “Leaders in Blockchain” report.
FTX Achievements
The Loeb Award is an annual prize handed out to the most impactful players in the blockchain space, as determined by CoinDesk. Bankman-Fried was given the award for his achievement in spearheading the phenomenal growth of FTX. The exchange recently achieved the industry’s highest trading volume, outdoing the market-leading exchanges in trading volume and total number of contract offerings.
Leading the Way
Bankman-Fried is no stranger to success, having previous experience in running Alameda Research, a cryptocurrency trading business. With his vast knowledge and experience in the industry, he was able to implement strategies on FTX that enabled its meteoric climb to success. These included an innovative approach to stable coin trading, an expansive derivatives market, and client-focused measures such as a reducing fees for large traders.
Continued Success in 2020
FTX continues to expand even further in 2020, as Bankman-Fried currently sits on the board of Deribit, an Amsterdam-based options exchange. He is also leading the charge for greater security in the industry, having launched a new insurance fund in order to protect FTX users against hacks and unexpected gains from other traders. The future is definitely looking bright with Bankman-Fried’s current initiatives.
2. CoinDesk’s Achievement Highlights the Power of Investigative Journalism
Investigative journalism can be a powerful tool in uncovering hidden facts and uncovering stories that society needs to know. CoinDesk, one of the leading crypto publications, is an example of how impactful investigative journalism can be. Here are some of CoinDesk’s biggest achievements.
- Secrecy Unveiled: CoinDesk’s award-winning investigation exposed a global network of secret offshore banking transactions and revealed how over $2 billion was moved in and out of the cryptocurrency sphere.
- Big Banks Blacklist Crypto Companies: Through its research, CoinDesk uncovered a pattern of banks camouflaging decision to close accounts of key industry players in the crypto space.
- FBI’s Breach of Exchange: CoinDesk provides an in-depth and comprehensive report on the massive security breach at one of the leading crypto exchanges, showing what happened and how customers were affected.
CoinDesk’s investigative reporting excellence has not gone unnoticed. The publication has won several awards for its stellar work. In 2019, CoinDesk received recognition from the Payments Awards after successfully uncovering the truth behind the global banking network’s blacklists of crypto companies. CoinDesk has also been honored for its investigative excellence by the North American Bitcoin Conference and Crypto Globe.
With its ongoing commitment to investigative journalism, CoinDesk continues to play a huge role in keeping the public informed about the crypto industry and revealing important information that most wouldn’t know.
3. 2018 Loeb Awards Celebrate Diverse Range of High-Impact Journalism
At the 2018 Loeb Awards ceremony, 10 prize-winning journalists were celebrated for their outstanding impact in journalism. Spansing all areas of the story-telling spectrum – from print and broadcast, to digital and documentary – these winners showcased the powerful influence that the media can have on society.
Investigating abuses of power, the winners of the 2018 Loeb Awards probed into the realms of organized crime and political corruption. These intrepid reporters wrote on matters of the utmost sensitivity, ranging from corruption-inflated gas prices, to abusive college coaches.
At the ceremony, a number of awards were handed out for various areas of journalistic excellence, including stories capturing the dynamic changes in neighborhoods, inspired visual storytelling, as well as long-term enterprise writing. The winners were also diverse, drawing from individuals at national outlets, to reporters at small community newspapers.
- Investigating abuses of power
- Dynamic changes in neighborhoods
- Inspired visual storytelling
- Long-term enterprise writing
The Loeb Award is the latest achievement to be added to Bankman-Fried and CoinDesk’s impressive track record. It is undoubtedly a win for both Sam and CoinDesk, and an action that should be celebrated with pride. As CoinDesk continues to provide top-level journalism, and Bankman-Fried continues to innovate, the world waits with bated breath for their next big move.