FTX Token

What is FTX Token (FTT)?

FTT, or the FTX Token, is the native token of the FTX cryptocurrency derivatives exchange.

FTX was created to solve supposed problems in the cryptocurrency exchange niche, proposing improvements to liquidity and the frequency of trading.

However, one of the main innovations of FTX lies in a multi-tier liquidation model that aims to improve contingencies when traders take losses. Clawback prevention removes the socialization of losses, which had been a feature of other derivative exchanges.

Among its innovations, FTX implements a single universal margin wallet for traders to make liquidation easier. The exchange also settles derivatives using stablecoins.

As a means of setting it apart from its competition, FTX touts products like options, leveraged tokens, volatility products, and derivatives. As a result, FTX brings cryptocurrency one step closer to Wall Street’s high-risk model of tradfi.

These products, as well as a strong OTC (Over The Counter) desk, make FTX an institutional-grade platform. This is underlined by their tagline “by traders, for traders,” with the FTX founders having represented major Wall Street trading houses.

Critics hold that a lot of FTX offerings lend credence to the mainstream view of crypto traders as “degenerate gamblers,” and that FTX is taking advantage of a yet-unregulated industry. However, FTX has established itself firmly among the top centralized exchanges.

The FTX founder admitted to Forbes in 2021 that derivatives of assets like Bitcoin trade more than actual spot Bitcoin. It must be noted that spot assets are moved to the buyer’s account right away, while derivatives aren’t, and may actually never result in actual delivery.

Despite this, Bitcoin was designed by Satoshi Nakamoto to be a peer-to-peer electronic currency, with a firm focus on fast, if not immediate, settlement.

When Was FTX Token Launched?

FTX token was launched in July 2019, following the May launch of the FTX trading platform. It exists as an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain, with FTX running on no blockchain platform of its own.

Who are the Founders of FTX Token?

Sam Bankman-Fried and Gary Wang, co-founders of quantitative trading firm Alameda Research, also co-founded FTX and therefore the FTX token in 2019.

FTX CEO Bankman-Fried, popularly known on social media as simply “SBF”, is a former employee of Jane Street Capital and a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Increasingly referred to as cryptocurrency’s central banker, Bankman-Fried made the 2022 Forbes’ Billionaires list in 60th place. He is a noted altruist, donating 1% of FTX revenues to charity, as well as an active political donor.

Bankman-Fried was the second-largest individual donor to Democrat US President Joe Biden’s 2020 election campaign. However, he has since made direct donations to Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Boston Consulting Group and Bain Capital’s Mitt Romney of Utah.

Gary Wang, meanwhile, is the CTO of FTX and also an MIT alumnus who served stints at Facebook and Google as a software engineer.

How Does FTX Token Work?

The FTX Token is an ERC-20 token, which means that it is a fungible token where 1 FTT can always be exchanged for 1 FTT.

The ERC-20 token standard was proposed in 2015. It provides various functions, including the transfer of tokens between accounts, the retrieval of balances and token supply, and the approval of third-party spending from accounts.

This is a very popular token standard thanks to its compatibility with smart contracts and decentralized applications. Other notable ERC-20 tokens include USDC, Wrapped Bitcoin, Chainlink, Uniswap, and Shiba Inu.

What Makes FTX Token Unique?

There is very little that is unique about the FTX token itself, given that it is one of many notable ERC-20 tokens on the market.

However, the FTX platform differentiates itself from its competition in many ways. One of the main things that FTX focuses on is leverage.

While many platforms offer leverage, they traditionally require margin to do so. FTX does not.

Instead, FTX allows traders to purchase leveraged tokens. These tokens represent leveraged positions on certain assets, although the platform has cut back on some of the more extreme leverage options (like 100x) on offer.

FTX is also known for offering solutions to prevent clawbacks during market reversals, a suite of other derivative products, as well as robust professional-grade OTC services.

Similar to competing cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com, FTX has also taken advantage of mainstream interest in cryptocurrency with major marketing initiatives.

FTX signed a reported five-year deal with Major League Baseball, linked up with NFL legend Tom Brady, and partnered with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team in 2021 to put the FTX logo on the cars and uniforms of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

Perhaps most notably of all, FTX acquired the naming rights to the Miami Heat’s basketball stadium in April 2021 via a 19-year deal, renaming it FTX Arena.

How is the FTX Token Network Secured?

Unlike its major competitors, Crypto.com and Binance, both of which use dual-blockchain platforms, FTX does not have its own blockchain.

Instead, the FTT token itself is an ERC-20 token secured by the Ethereum blockchain. Ethereum, one of the oldest and most innovative cryptocurrencies in existence, is secured by a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism.

PoW relies on computers on the network devoting their computing power to the network’s security by solving complex puzzles and then agreeing on their solutions.

This process is called mining, and it is also used by Bitcoin. However, Ethereum will switch to proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus once testing is complete.

A more energy-efficient model, PoS relies on economic and game-theoretic factors for security, incentivizing nodes that behave according to the protocol and penalizing bad actors.

What is the Use of FTT?

The FTX Token has several uses on the FTX trading platform. One of the main features is tightened spreads on futures, with traders benefiting from fees that are discounted up to 60% for regular users.

Unlocking this 60% trading fee discount currently requires users to hold an FTT balance exceeding $5 million. Holdings below $5,000 will only see users benefit from single-digit fee discounts, with 5% at over $1,000 and just 3% at over $100.

Holding FTT worth $2 million on the FTX OTC portal can net users an OTC discount of 0.02%. The lowest OTC discount bracket is for holders of at least $5,000, who can net a discount of 0.0025%.

FTT can be used as collateral by futures traders on the FTX platform. Moreover, White Label Solutions on the FTX OTC site can also be purchased using FTT.

FTT can be staked on FTX to earn returns, qualify for airdrops, and increase referral rates. Finally, similar to several other major exchanges, upcoming projects can also be supported on the platform using FTT.

Who Controls FTX Token?

FTX Token is controlled by FTX, the cryptocurrency derivative exchange founded by Sam Bankman-Fried in 2019 and headquartered in the Bahamas since 2021.

FTX Trading Limited’s Bahamian subsidiary, FTX Digital Markets, was registered by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas as a digital asset business headed by Ryan Salame.

However, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried remains in full control of the company and serves as CEO of FTX Trading Limited.

According to the FTX website, the core team includes Head of Engineering Nishad Singh, Regulatory Officer Dan Friedberg, COO Constance Wang, and GC Can Sun, along with founders Gary Wang and Bankman-Fried.

The site advertises that the team hails from ”leading Wall Street quant firms and tech companies,” including Optiver, Jane Street, and Jeff Yass’ Susquehanna.

Among its subsidiaries, FTX Trading Ltd. also counts FTX Ventures, their venture capital arm, and has acquired other cryptocurrency firms, including portfolio tracker Blockfolio.

In January 2022, FTX raised $400 million in Series C funding at a $32 billion valuation.

How Much FTT Is In Circulation?

FTT has a circulating supply of over 168 million FTT as of July 2022, along with a maximum supply of just over 352 million FTT.

FTX has implemented a “Buy and Burn” play where FTX buys FTT on its FTT/USD market and burns the tokens on a weekly schedule.

The amount of FTT repurchased and burned equals 33% of fees generated on FTX markets, 10% of socialized gains, and 5% of fees earned from various other uses of the platform.

How Do You Buy FTT?

You can buy FTT on several major international exchanges, including on its own platform, FTX, where it can additionally be staked.

Due to the regulatory structure, FTX operates a different, limited platform for US users. These are differentiated by domain (ftx.com and ftx.us).

Is It Possible to Buy FTT Instantly?

Yes. Since FTT is largely purchased on its own platform or on other centralized exchanges, it can be purchased instantly. These purchases are reflected in the user’s trading account as soon as they are made.

However, withdrawal to a private or non-custodial wallet may not be instant thanks to KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti Money Laundering) protocols that exchanges have to observe.

When the withdrawal transaction has been initiated, the speed of transfer will depend on the Ethereum blockchain since FTT is an Ethereum-based ERC-20 token.

How Do You Store FTT?

FTT tokens can be stored on the FTX platform, and users can avail themselves of discounts based on the portal they use for storing their tokens. FTT can also be staked on the FTX platform for other benefits and a yield of around 8% APY.

On top of that, FTT can also be stored using Ethereum-based non-custodial wallets like Metamask, which is a browser extension hot wallet, or Ledger, a type of hardware cold wallet.

FTX Token Energy Consumption

Since FTX doesn’t actually have a blockchain of any sort, it can be argued that its energy consumption is negligible, at least as a cryptocurrency.

FTX Digital Ltd., as an organization, has a carbon footprint of its own, especially since it operates trading platforms that are accessible around the clock.

Is FTX Token a Good Investment?

Like many exchange tokens, an investment in FTT could represent a bet on the long-term success of the platform itself. However, owning FTX tokens does not grant holders any sort of governance privilege or equity in the company.

Much like the native tokens of its competitors, the value of FTT very much depends on the utility that the platform can build into it. Currently, one of the main drivers of value is trading fees, with traders able to avail themselves of discounts when they hold FTT.

However, if the platform is able to build more use cases into FTT while also continuing to buy back and burn the token, thus tightening supply, its value has plenty of potential to appreciate.

Ultimately, FTX refers to itself as a platform that is built “by traders, for traders” and is quick to advertise that those same traders are very much Wall Street-affiliated.

While critics may disagree with the principles that FTX embodies, it is likely that there is still money to be made in cryptocurrency. While this remains true, there will always be a set of traders with an appetite for risk and a desire for reward to whom FTX can cater.