Transcript Ep. 431: How Will the FTX Collapse Affect Silvergate? A Bear and a Bull Debate

Laura Shin:

Hey, all. Some of you may have heard that Silvergate Bank, the leading bank for the crypto industry, is facing challenges after FTX’s implosion. It’s one of the most shorted stocks, has changed its chief risk officer, which is a role focused on fraud, and it’s been releasing public statements weekly to try to quell the markets. In this episode, we heard from veteran short seller Marc Cohodes and crypto banking insider, Ram Ahluwalia, on why, for Marc, he believes that this is only the beginning of Silvergate’s troubles and why, for Ram, he believes Silvergate won’t go down.

It was an intense and fascinating discussion with great points by both sides. I think we’ll have to see how events play out before e can see who was right. All right. Now, on to the show.

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to Unchained. Your no-hype resource for all things crypto. I’m your host, Laura Shin, author of the Cryptopians. I started covering crypto seven years ago, and as a senior editor at Forbes was the first mainstream media reporter to cover cryptocurrency full-time. This is the December 13, 2022 episode of Unchained.

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Today’s topic is the financial situation at Silvergate Bank. Here to discuss are Marc Cohodes, individual investor and former hedge fund manager, and Ram Ahluwalia, CEO and co-founder at Lumida. Welcome, Marc and Ram.

Marc Cohodes:

Thanks for having me, Laura.