Sam Kessler

Sam is CoinDesk's deputy managing editor for tech and protocols. His reporting is focused on decentralized technology, infrastructure and governance. Sam holds a computer science degree from Harvard University, where he led the Harvard Political Review. He has a background in the technology industry and owns some ETH and BTC. Sam was part of the team that won a 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for CoinDesk's coverage of Sam Bankman-Fried and the FTX collapse.

Sam Kessler

Latest from Sam Kessler


Finance

First Mover Americas: May Brings Showers Not Flowers as Bitcoin Languishes in Terra Aftermath

The latest moves in crypto markets in context for May 16, 2022.

(fstop123)

Finance

LFG Reserves Dwindle to Just 313 Bitcoins From 80K After UST Crash

The announcement comes after criticism of the Luna Foundation Guard's "lack of transparency."

(Javardh/Unsplash)

Tech

Do Kwon’s Proposed Terra ‘Revival’ Puts UST, LUNA Holders in Charge

A “Revival Plan” submitted Friday by the Terraform Labs CEO would redistribute ownership of the network.

(Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Layer 2

The LUNA and UST Crash Explained in 5 Charts

One of the earliest signs that things were going wrong for Terra came when UST deposits on Anchor started dropping Saturday.

(koyu/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Tech

UST’s Do Kwon Was Behind Earlier Failed Stablecoin, Ex-Terra Colleagues Say

Basis Cash, an algorithmic stablecoin project founded by the anonymous “Rick” and “Morty” in 2020, was actually the work of Terraform Labs employees.

Do Kwon (Terraforms Labs, modified by CoinDesk)

Finance

UST Backer LFG Seeks $1B to Shore Up Stablecoin Peg: Report

The funding is needed because the dollar-pegged stablecoin dropped as low as 60 cents Monday amid broader market turmoil.

When Terra's UST stablecoin fell of its peg, it undermined confidence in stablecoins. (moonjazz/flickr)

Tech

UST Stablecoin Veers Wildly From Dollar Peg. Here's the Latest

By tapping into its bitcoin reserves, UST’s salvation may have exacerbated a bitcoin sell-off that brought BTC to its lowest price since July 2021.

CoinDesk placeholder image

Finance

UST Stablecoin Loses Dollar Peg for Second Time in 48 Hours, LUNA Market Cap Falls Below UST's

The development comes after the Luna Foundation Guard announced that its massive bitcoin reserves will be used to defend UST’s dollar peg.

dollar bill

Finance

Compound’s Enterprise Arm Receives S&P Credit Rating in DeFi First

The iffy B- grade applies to Compound Treasury, a platform promising 4% yield for USDC-denominated business accounts.

S&P (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Finance

UST Stablecoin Briefly Loses Peg, Luna Drops 10%

The Saturday event led to questions about whether Terra’s bitcoin reserves will soon face their first test

(Emilio Takas/Unsplash)