'I Hope I Haven't Killed Crypto,' Fried Wishes

Fallen cryptocurrency tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of collapsed crypto exchange FTX, says he "hopes he hasn't killed crypto" after overseeing one of the most dramatic crashes in the industry's history, Brian McGleenon reported for BBC News.

Photo Insert: The Fried-fueled FTX fallout has set the crypto market on fire.

The 30-year-old, who faces several US federal investigations into the handling of FTX customer funds, was questioned in a new interview after inviting the BBC to his Bahama residence.

BBC cyber-security correspondent Joe Tidy asked the former FTX boss whether his actions have caused many people to lose faith in the cryptocurrency industry.

Bankman-Fried said: "I hope not, I don't think so. I think crypto is more resilient than that, and I think that if I have killed crypto then it is not what we all thought it was, because it is meant to be resilient."

The disgraced crypto boss also said that he would do anything to make money and repay the customers of his exchange that lost all of their funds.

He said: "I would give anything to be able to do that. And I'm going to try if I can." Speaking from a luxury complex in the Bahamas, the former billionaire denies fraud but says he was "not nearly as competent as I thought I was."

He then admitted to worrying about possible arrest while "ruminating at night." Bankman-Fried told the BBC: "I'm going to be thinking about how we can help the world and if users haven't gotten much back, I'm going to be thinking about what I can do for them. And I think at the very least I have a duty to FTX users to do right by them as best as I can."

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