The collapsed crypto exchange paid millions of dollars for these endorsements.
The recovery includes $750,000 from Shaquille O’Neal.
Fallen crypto exchange FTX EU has a new owner, but the license remains suspended.
FTX is trying to recover the millions of dollars paid to celebrity athletes and sports teams who endorsed the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange before its collapse. It is also reclaiming the investments it made in other companies, including crypto startups.
FTX’s Hefty Payments to Athletes
According to a court filing, the financial advisors of FTX have laid out a detailed list of names and businesses to assess the possibility of reversing the payments made to them under the collapsed exchange’s marketing efforts.
The list includes $750,000 of payments made to the former basketball professional Shaquille O’Neal, more than $300,000 and $270,000 to the Tennis player Naomi Osaka and the former baseball star David Ortiz, respectively, as well as a payment of over $200,000 to the American football quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The list added a payout of about $420,000 to the professional basketball team, the Golden State Warriors, and another payment of over $250,000 to Miami Heat.
Despite the name mentions, the flailing highlighted that the recovery amount “may vary materially from the amount reported.”
FTX collapsed last November after the business misdeeds by its top management came to light. FTX’s Founder and former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, faces civil and criminal lawsuits and is currently behind bars, awaiting trial. Several of his associates at FTX had pled guilty to the charges and are cooperating with the investigators.
Investment Recovery
Meanwhile, the bankrupt crypto exchange filed a lawsuit against LayerZero Labs, a cross-chain protocol, seeking the recovery of an investment of $21 million. The lawsuit alleged that LayerZero Labs illegally withdrew the funds before FTX’s collapse despite knowing the liquidity crunch of the exchange.
“LayerZero was well aware that Alameda Research was facing a liquidity crisis and, within about 24 hours, negotiated a fire-sale transaction with Caroline Ellison, Alameda Research’s then-CEO,” the lawsuit alleged.
The agreement with LayerZero was signed by Alameda Ventures, the venture capital arm of FTX Research, a sister company of FTX. Alameda initially paid $70 million in two transactions to the crypto startup for about a stake of 4.92 percent and paid another $25 million for 100 million STG tokens at a public auction.
In addition to that, LayerZero loaned $45 million to Alameda Research. However, when the crisis of FTX started, LayerZero sought a deal to return its stake owned by Alameda and agreed to forgive the $45 million loan. In another agreement, the cross-chain protocol agreed to purchase 100 million STG tokens for $10 million, which remained incomplete.
FTX is trying to recover the millions of dollars paid to celebrity athletes and sports teams who endorsed the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange before its collapse. It is also reclaiming the investments it made in other companies, including crypto startups.
FTX’s Hefty Payments to Athletes
According to a court filing, the financial advisors of FTX have laid out a detailed list of names and businesses to assess the possibility of reversing the payments made to them under the collapsed exchange’s marketing efforts.
The list includes $750,000 of payments made to the former basketball professional Shaquille O’Neal, more than $300,000 and $270,000 to the Tennis player Naomi Osaka and the former baseball star David Ortiz, respectively, as well as a payment of over $200,000 to the American football quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The list added a payout of about $420,000 to the professional basketball team, the Golden State Warriors, and another payment of over $250,000 to Miami Heat.
Despite the name mentions, the flailing highlighted that the recovery amount “may vary materially from the amount reported.”
FTX collapsed last November after the business misdeeds by its top management came to light. FTX’s Founder and former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, faces civil and criminal lawsuits and is currently behind bars, awaiting trial. Several of his associates at FTX had pled guilty to the charges and are cooperating with the investigators.
Investment Recovery
Meanwhile, the bankrupt crypto exchange filed a lawsuit against LayerZero Labs, a cross-chain protocol, seeking the recovery of an investment of $21 million. The lawsuit alleged that LayerZero Labs illegally withdrew the funds before FTX’s collapse despite knowing the liquidity crunch of the exchange.
“LayerZero was well aware that Alameda Research was facing a liquidity crisis and, within about 24 hours, negotiated a fire-sale transaction with Caroline Ellison, Alameda Research’s then-CEO,” the lawsuit alleged.
The agreement with LayerZero was signed by Alameda Ventures, the venture capital arm of FTX Research, a sister company of FTX. Alameda initially paid $70 million in two transactions to the crypto startup for about a stake of 4.92 percent and paid another $25 million for 100 million STG tokens at a public auction.
In addition to that, LayerZero loaned $45 million to Alameda Research. However, when the crisis of FTX started, LayerZero sought a deal to return its stake owned by Alameda and agreed to forgive the $45 million loan. In another agreement, the cross-chain protocol agreed to purchase 100 million STG tokens for $10 million, which remained incomplete.
Arnab Shome is an electronics engineer-turned-financial editor. He holds a Bachelor of Technology from the National Institute of Technology, Agartala. He entered the retail trading industry about a decade ago, covering the cryptocurrency market for Finance Magnates, and later expanded his coverage to include forex and CFDs as well.
His work at Finance Magnates includes C-level interviews, data-driven analysis, opinion pieces, and scoops of industry exclusives. He also contributes to Finance Magnates’ quarterly industry report.
Area of coverage:
1. CFD broker-related news
2. Industry-related Regulatory updates and developments
3. New retail trading trends
4. Prop trading industry updates
5. Executive interviews
Education:
Bachelor of Technology - National Institute of Technology, Agartala (India)
Kraken IPO Slides Toward 2027, Four Weeks After CEO Publicly Reaffirmed Filing
Featured Videos
FM Daily Brief - 22 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 22 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 22 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 22 May 2026
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. It’s Friday, the twenty-second of May 2026, and these are our main stories: Interactive Brokers expands its view of prediction markets as an information tool for investors. US prop firms move closer to CFTC oversight structures. And a Polish fintech CEO is detained in the United States.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. It’s Friday, the twenty-second of May 2026, and these are our main stories: Interactive Brokers expands its view of prediction markets as an information tool for investors. US prop firms move closer to CFTC oversight structures. And a Polish fintech CEO is detained in the United States.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. It’s Friday, the twenty-second of May 2026, and these are our main stories: Interactive Brokers expands its view of prediction markets as an information tool for investors. US prop firms move closer to CFTC oversight structures. And a Polish fintech CEO is detained in the United States.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. It’s Friday, the twenty-second of May 2026, and these are our main stories: Interactive Brokers expands its view of prediction markets as an information tool for investors. US prop firms move closer to CFTC oversight structures. And a Polish fintech CEO is detained in the United States.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. Today's Thursday, the twenty first of May 2026, and these are our main stories: CFD broker CMC Markets and Binance both target SpaceX exposure on the same day, IG Japan pauses retail vanilla options trading, and prediction markets expand across brokers and exchanges.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. Today's Thursday, the twenty first of May 2026, and these are our main stories: CFD broker CMC Markets and Binance both target SpaceX exposure on the same day, IG Japan pauses retail vanilla options trading, and prediction markets expand across brokers and exchanges.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. Today's Thursday, the twenty first of May 2026, and these are our main stories: CFD broker CMC Markets and Binance both target SpaceX exposure on the same day, IG Japan pauses retail vanilla options trading, and prediction markets expand across brokers and exchanges.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. Today's Thursday, the twenty first of May 2026, and these are our main stories: CFD broker CMC Markets and Binance both target SpaceX exposure on the same day, IG Japan pauses retail vanilla options trading, and prediction markets expand across brokers and exchanges.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. Today's Thursday, the twenty first of May 2026, and these are our main stories: CFD broker CMC Markets and Binance both target SpaceX exposure on the same day, IG Japan pauses retail vanilla options trading, and prediction markets expand across brokers and exchanges.
You are listening to Finance Magnates Daily Brief. Brought to you by Finance Magnates Intelligence. Today's Thursday, the twenty first of May 2026, and these are our main stories: CFD broker CMC Markets and Binance both target SpaceX exposure on the same day, IG Japan pauses retail vanilla options trading, and prediction markets expand across brokers and exchanges.
FM Daily Brief - 20 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 20 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 20 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 20 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 20 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 20 May 2026
Today’s lead: CFD brokers show a wide divergence in per-account trading activity. Also ahead, a deep dive into IG Group and XTB’s latest numbers. It's Wednesday, 20 May 2026. You're listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: CFD brokers show a wide divergence in per-account trading activity. Also ahead, a deep dive into IG Group and XTB’s latest numbers. It's Wednesday, 20 May 2026. You're listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: CFD brokers show a wide divergence in per-account trading activity. Also ahead, a deep dive into IG Group and XTB’s latest numbers. It's Wednesday, 20 May 2026. You're listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: CFD brokers show a wide divergence in per-account trading activity. Also ahead, a deep dive into IG Group and XTB’s latest numbers. It's Wednesday, 20 May 2026. You're listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: CFD brokers show a wide divergence in per-account trading activity. Also ahead, a deep dive into IG Group and XTB’s latest numbers. It's Wednesday, 20 May 2026. You're listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: CFD brokers show a wide divergence in per-account trading activity. Also ahead, a deep dive into IG Group and XTB’s latest numbers. It's Wednesday, 20 May 2026. You're listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
FM Daily Brief - 19 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 19 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 19 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 19 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 19 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 19 May 2026
Today's lead: IG Group has lifted its full-year revenue outlook after a strong quarter. Also ahead, Swissquote sets a date for its one-to-ten share split. And CMC Markets’ UK head says neobanks are becoming trading distributors. It’s Tuesday, 19 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today's lead: IG Group has lifted its full-year revenue outlook after a strong quarter. Also ahead, Swissquote sets a date for its one-to-ten share split. And CMC Markets’ UK head says neobanks are becoming trading distributors. It’s Tuesday, 19 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today's lead: IG Group has lifted its full-year revenue outlook after a strong quarter. Also ahead, Swissquote sets a date for its one-to-ten share split. And CMC Markets’ UK head says neobanks are becoming trading distributors. It’s Tuesday, 19 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today's lead: IG Group has lifted its full-year revenue outlook after a strong quarter. Also ahead, Swissquote sets a date for its one-to-ten share split. And CMC Markets’ UK head says neobanks are becoming trading distributors. It’s Tuesday, 19 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today's lead: IG Group has lifted its full-year revenue outlook after a strong quarter. Also ahead, Swissquote sets a date for its one-to-ten share split. And CMC Markets’ UK head says neobanks are becoming trading distributors. It’s Tuesday, 19 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today's lead: IG Group has lifted its full-year revenue outlook after a strong quarter. Also ahead, Swissquote sets a date for its one-to-ten share split. And CMC Markets’ UK head says neobanks are becoming trading distributors. It’s Tuesday, 19 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
FM Daily Brief - 18 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 18 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 18 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 18 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 18 May 2026
FM Daily Brief - 18 May 2026
Today’s lead: Cyprus authorities detain suspects in a forex-linked criminal probe. Also ahead: Kraken’s IPO timeline slips further, and CMC Markets expands its Spectre product to retail clients. It’s Monday, 18 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: Cyprus authorities detain suspects in a forex-linked criminal probe. Also ahead: Kraken’s IPO timeline slips further, and CMC Markets expands its Spectre product to retail clients. It’s Monday, 18 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: Cyprus authorities detain suspects in a forex-linked criminal probe. Also ahead: Kraken’s IPO timeline slips further, and CMC Markets expands its Spectre product to retail clients. It’s Monday, 18 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: Cyprus authorities detain suspects in a forex-linked criminal probe. Also ahead: Kraken’s IPO timeline slips further, and CMC Markets expands its Spectre product to retail clients. It’s Monday, 18 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: Cyprus authorities detain suspects in a forex-linked criminal probe. Also ahead: Kraken’s IPO timeline slips further, and CMC Markets expands its Spectre product to retail clients. It’s Monday, 18 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.
Today’s lead: Cyprus authorities detain suspects in a forex-linked criminal probe. Also ahead: Kraken’s IPO timeline slips further, and CMC Markets expands its Spectre product to retail clients. It’s Monday, 18 May 2026. You’re listening to the Finance Magnates Daily Brief.