Trump explicitly refuses to pardon SBF; ongoing deepening of compliance review in the crypto industry

【BlockBeats】Regarding whether FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) can receive a presidential pardon, there is a new conclusion. U.S. President Donald Trump recently stated frankly in an interview with the media—he will not consider pardoning SBF.

This crypto industry figure, who was convicted in 2023 for serious crimes such as embezzlement of customer funds and financial fraud, now appears to have his path to early release through a pardon blocked. When asked during the interview whether several high-profile inmates might be granted clemency, SBF was among those listed but was explicitly excluded. Trump’s stance was very firm: he has no intention of exercising the pardon power for individuals like SBF.

An interesting contrast is that musician Diddy also wrote a letter requesting a pardon, which was similarly denied. While Trump has indeed exercised his pardon power in recent years for some political allies or individuals who fit his narrative of “judicial politicization,” SBF clearly does not fall into this category.

What does this mean? Simply put, SBF’s criminal and civil liability processes will not change due to political factors and will continue to move forward. This will also have a lasting impact on the entire crypto industry’s compliance and regulatory discussions—FTX’s case, as one of the most iconic warnings in industry history, still serves as a stark reminder.