A Web Of Unethical Connections In Crypto & Finance Revealed By NFTethics

The Twitter account NFTethics has shared a thread that explores the links between NFTs/crypto, major financial scandals such as Wirecard and 1MDB, Goldman Sachs, and controversial financiers/investors.

According to the user, these connections cannot be mere coincidence. One example of the linkages presented is that Mike Novogratz, who owns Galaxy Digital, was a college roommate of Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum, and had the opportunity to purchase 500,000 ETH for less than $500k from Vitalik Buterin. Novogratz, Lubin, Dan Morehead of Pantera Capital, and Pete Briger of Fortress are all known for being early investors in the crypto space.

The thread also alleges that several investments by Christian Angermayer, a business partner of both Peter Thiel and Novogratz, are linked to fraudulent transactions, including the entire ICO of BlockOne, and investments made through Angermayer’s FinLab. The thread suggests that the situation may be much worse than previously thought.

Moreover, the thread adds that several IPOs associated with Angermayer have declined significantly, with shareholders typically entities linked to Angermayer or his business partners. FTX reportedly invested in Angermayer’s pharma company, Rejuveron, along with several other entities linked to Angermayer, but it is unclear why FTX invested in this company.

In addition, NFTethics suggests that Lars Windhorst, a controversial German financier with a history of questionable business practices, introduced Goldman Sachs to Falcon Private Bank, which was involved in the 1MDB fraud scandal. Windhorst reportedly had personal contact with Khadem al-Qubaisi, the main suspect who is currently serving a 15-year jail term. Falcon Bank, one of the first crypto banks, collapsed and its executives went to work for their partner Bitcoin Suisse.

The thread raises ethical concerns regarding the digital kingdom and its influential players and aims to uncover inconvenient truths about them. The allegations in the thread suggest that there may be links between NFTs/crypto, major financial scandals, and controversial financiers/investors, which may have wider implications for the ethical foundations of Web3.