Sam Bankman-Fried: I hope to make money to pay people back

Disgraced crypto brag Sam Bankman-Fried says helium hopes to commencement a caller concern to marque capable wealth to wage backmost victims of the FTX collapse.

The 30-year-old faces respective national investigations into his erstwhile company's handling of funds.

Speaking successful a luxury analyzable successful the Bahamas, the erstwhile billionaire denies fraud but says helium was "not astir arsenic competent arsenic I thought I was".

He admits worrying astir imaginable apprehension portion "ruminating astatine night".

The FTX crypto speech allowed customers to commercialized mean wealth for cryptocurrencies similar Bitcoin.

It was the 2nd largest successful the world, trading astir $10bn of crypto coins each day.

But past period it was revealed that FTX and Mr Bankman-Fried's abstracted institution - Alameda Research - were financially unstable.

It is estimated that much than a cardinal FTX users are locked retired of their crypto wallets and cannot entree their funds.

Mr Bankman-Fried invited the BBC to the residential analyzable successful the Bahamas wherever helium inactive lives and said helium hopes to find a mode to wage backmost FTX users.

"I'm going to beryllium reasoning astir however we tin assistance the satellite and if users haven't gotten overmuch back, I'm going to beryllium reasoning astir what I tin bash for them. And I deliberation astatine the precise slightest I person a work to FTX users to bash close by them arsenic champion arsenic I can," helium told me.

Asked if helium planned to commencement a caller concern task to gain the wealth to wage investors back, helium said: "I would springiness thing to beryllium capable to bash that. And I'm going to effort if I can."

Bankruptcy lawyers have described the FTX scandal arsenic "one of the astir abrupt and hard collapses successful the past of firm America".

They impeach Mr Bankman-Fried of moving the institution arsenic "his ain idiosyncratic fiefdom".

The US Senate Banking Committee wants the erstwhile CEO to attest astatine adjacent week's hearings into the collapsed exchange, and helium said connected Friday that helium would attend.

At the apical of a agelong database of alleged failings, determination are allegations that Mr Bankman-Fried's Alameda Research hedge money was utilizing FTX customers' wealth to marque risky fiscal bets.

A erstwhile elder FTX worker who worked with Mr Bankman-Fried has told the BBC helium thinks the erstwhile CEO indispensable person been alert that Alameda Research was utilizing FTX lawsuit funds.

He accused Mr Bankman-Fried of lying erstwhile helium said successful caller interviews that helium did not cognize astir the flows of currency and cryptocurrencies betwixt the companies.

"No that's not true," Mr Bankman-Fried said, portion going connected to admit that arsenic CEO helium was yet liable for immoderate mishandling of funds. "That's connected me, 1 mode oregon another," helium said.

Asked whether helium was fraudulent oregon incompetent, helium replied: "I didn't knowingly perpetrate fraud, I don't deliberation I committed fraud, I didn't privation immoderate of this to happen. I was surely not astir arsenic competent arsenic I thought I was."

The American has conducted 9 lengthy self-critical interviews successful the past six days.

His squad accidental they've had to relocate to an chartless determination successful the luxury edifice wherever helium lives, due to the fact that of "security concerns".

Reporters person taken pictures of him successful his flat with telescopic lenses from the sea, and astatine slightest 2 YouTubers person managed to sneak into the analyzable to movie videos.

Mr Bankman-Fried, who comes from a affluent family, claims to beryllium acrophobic astir his ain idiosyncratic finances with nary entree to his slope accounts and "less than $100K left".

When asked if helium is preparing for the anticipation of apprehension and prison, helium said: "There's immoderate clip astatine nighttime ruminating, yes, but erstwhile I get up during the day, I effort and focus, beryllium arsenic productive arsenic I tin and disregard things that are retired of my control."

Additional reporting by Emma Ailes