Risk, returns & timeframes illustration
1 min read
November 22, 2022
by
Regan Pearson

FTX’s crypto contagion 😬

Has the crypto contagion replaced pandemic woes? Bitcoin is now the fifth-biggest asset crash of all time, and crypto exchanges FTX and Blockfi have tanked. Sam Bankman-Fried’s Bahamas blow-out has also blown sports sponsorship outta the water. Who’s hit in the US share markets?
1 min read
November 22, 2022
by
Regan Pearson

FTX’s crypto contagion 😬

Has the crypto contagion replaced pandemic woes? Bitcoin is now the fifth-biggest asset crash of all time, and crypto exchanges FTX and Blockfi have tanked. Sam Bankman-Fried’s Bahamas blow-out has also blown sports sponsorship outta the water. Who’s hit in the US share markets?
1 min read
November 22, 2022
by
Regan Pearson

FTX’s crypto contagion 😬

Has the crypto contagion replaced pandemic woes? Bitcoin is now the fifth-biggest asset crash of all time, and crypto exchanges FTX and Blockfi have tanked. Sam Bankman-Fried’s Bahamas blow-out has also blown sports sponsorship outta the water. Who’s hit in the US share markets?
Table of contents
Getting Started Investing course
Free Getting Started Course
Take your first, or next, step to becoming a confident investor with Hatch's free online course – just 10 minutes a day, for 10 days.

Being terrible at a massive, multiplayer video game like League of Legends generally has a low impact on the world. But going full Leeroy Jenkins IRL while running a massive, globally-connected crypto exchange like Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX, may be a recipe for global crypto contagion. 🦠

The implosion of FTX has now hurt the price of Bitcoin so much that according to Bank of America (BAC), Bitcoin is now the fifth-biggest asset crash of all time. Ouch! 🩹 Bitcoin’s decline of 77% puts it ahead of even the Nasdaq dot-com crash of the early 2000s. No divine intervention spells can make that better.

The domino effect of Bitcoin’s fall has also knocked the share prices of companies that had bought up bitcoins, like software company MicroStrategy (MSTR) and Block (SQ). MicroStrategy borrowed large amounts to shop for bitcoin, only to watch their share price rise - then fall - in a similar trajectory. 💸

Exchanges and platforms that make money from users buying and selling crypto have also tumbled. The share price of cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase (COIN) has crashed 82% this year. 📉 More dominoes have also been falling as confidence in crypto companies craters, and users scramble to withdraw their cash and crypto tokens from exchanges. Last week international crypto-bank Genesis and Winklevoss-twin led exchange, Gemini, restricted lending and withdrawals, while Blockfi is reportedly preparing to file for bankruptcy. 🚩

Even the sports industry has been whacked. FTX was known for making monster sponsorship deals, across the NBA , Major League Baseball and Formula One (FWONK). 🏎️ But among the biggest deals was esports’ - and League of Legends - powerhouse TSM. The world’s most valuable esports organisation suspended a massive sponsorship deal, and probably ending any chance SBF had of ever getting out of his terrible Bronze III League of Legends ranking.

Regan Pearson
Finance writer
Linkedin

We’re not financial advisors and Hatch news is for your information only. However dazzling our writing, none of it is a recommendation to invest in any of the companies or funds mentioned. If you want support before making any investment decisions, consider seeking financial advice from a licensed provider. We’ve done our best to ensure all information is current when we pushed ‘publish’ on this article. And of course, with investing, your money isn’t guaranteed to grow and there’s always a risk you might lose money.

Join the Kiwis who are hatching their tomorrow and have invested more than $1 billion with Hatch.

Explore another series
Tax
Money
Economy
Investing

More recent news articles

Recent learn articles

8 min read
Mar 25, 2025

What’s driving gold prices to record highs?

As the world waits for Trump’s tariffs policies to take effect, the allure of gold has sent bullion, stocks and ETFs to glittering highs. But could gold’s volatility and the potential for the US to sell its gold reserves to buy bitcoin prime other global central banks to do the same?
Read more
8 min read
Mar 4, 2025

Can Biotech beat cancer?

Some Kiwi companies are making significant advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment that could save lives worldwide. Global pharmaceutical companies are also making huge strides in cancer clinical trials, but could Trump’s administration derail decades of research?
Read more
7 min read
Feb 12, 2025

Trump’s trade tariffs and the AI race

US President Trump has swept into the Oval Office proposing what some have called ‘punitive’ tariffs with its three largest trading partners, China, Canada and Mexico. But could tariffs plug America's massive deficit? And is there an even greater agenda to do with the trillion dollar AI race?
Read more

Related news articles

More recent learn articles

No items found.

Recent news articles

More recent learn articles

8 min read
Mar 25, 2025

What’s driving gold prices to record highs?

As the world waits for Trump’s tariffs policies to take effect, the allure of gold has sent bullion, stocks and ETFs to glittering highs. But could gold’s volatility and the potential for the US to sell its gold reserves to buy bitcoin prime other global central banks to do the same?
Read more
8 min read
Mar 4, 2025

Can Biotech beat cancer?

Some Kiwi companies are making significant advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment that could save lives worldwide. Global pharmaceutical companies are also making huge strides in cancer clinical trials, but could Trump’s administration derail decades of research?
Read more
7 min read
Feb 12, 2025

Trump’s trade tariffs and the AI race

US President Trump has swept into the Oval Office proposing what some have called ‘punitive’ tariffs with its three largest trading partners, China, Canada and Mexico. But could tariffs plug America's massive deficit? And is there an even greater agenda to do with the trillion dollar AI race?
Read more