Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX reached the late stages of negotiating a sponsorship deal worth more than $100mn with Taylor Swift, but talks with the pop star fizzled out just months before the exchange’s collapse in November.
The discussions included a ticketing arrangement with digital certificates known as non-fungible tokens from the record-breaking “Anti Hero” singer-songwriter, according to people familiar with the matter.
FTX’s talks with Swift and the nine-figure sum being negotiated underscore the ambition and reach of the crypto group’s drive for celebrity partnerships before it fell into bankruptcy last month. FTX had struck deals with US football star Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen, as well as tennis star Naomi Osaka, and basketball players Shaquille O’Neal and Steph Curry.
