Temasek slashes compensation for execs responsible for its $275M FTX investment

Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings has reduced compensation for the execs responsible for the firm’s investment into the now-defunct crypto exchange FTX.

Temasek was once the second-largest outside investor of FTX, with 7 million shares, according to Forbes. The firm however was forced to answer for its investment play after the exchange collapsed.

According to a May 29 report from Bloomberg, Temasek has now concluded its internal review of the $275 million investment loss incurred from FTX, which it initiated shortly after the exchange collapsed in November 2022.

While the findings revealed that there was “no misconduct” internally, it was reported that both its investment team and senior management took “collective accountability,” and had their compensation reduced.

The $275 million FTX investment which is now written off, was said to be 0.09% of Temasek portfolio value of more than $293 billion, at the time of collapse.

Temasek has stood by its claims that it conducted an extensive due diligence process into FTX before making its investment.

In a seperate May 29 Bloomberg statement, Temasek’s chairman, Lim Boon Heng, said that “there was fraudulent conduct intentionally hidden from investors, including Temasek,” suggesting that it has had a major impact on the firm:

“We are disappointed with the outcome of our investment, and the negative impact on our reputation.”

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong previously reiterated similar words at a parliament meeting in November 2022, just days after FTX collapsed.

“What happened with FTX, therefore, has caused not only financial loss to Temasek but also reputational damage” Wong said.

Temasek stated that when it conducted its due diligence, it reviewed FTX’s financial statements, assessed regulatory risks with crypto market financial service providers, and sought legal advice over nine months from Feb. to Oct 2021.

It was added that the firm also engaged with people with firsthand knowledge of FTX, including employees, other investors, and industry participants.

5/ Some of the following #FTX‘s institutional investors have said they will be writing down their FTX investments to $0:

• Temasek Holdings – $275M
• Sequoia Capital – $213.5M
• Softbank – $100M
• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan – $95M

— CoinGecko (@coingecko) December 3, 2022

In more recent news, Temasek denied rumours that it had invested $10 million into Array, the developer of the algorithmic currency system based on smart contracts and artificial intelligence.

In a short statement on May 2, the firm addressed the circulating news articles and tweets regarding Temasek’s investment, dismissing them by stating “this news is incorrect.”

Magazine: FTX 2.0 coming up, Multichain FUD and Worldcoin raises $115M: Hodler’s Digest, May 21-27