Sam Reynolds is a financial journalist, Senior Reporter for CoinDesk, and the Vice President of the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers (ACJR). He is known for his coverage of digital asset markets, the semiconductor industry, and their intersection with geopolitics in Asia. Reynolds was part of the CoinDesk team that won a 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for reporting on the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Education

Sam Reynolds studied Journalism at Langara College. He later attended Simon Fraser University and Thompson Rivers University. ^[14]

Career

Sam Reynolds' career spans marketing, market analysis, and journalism across the technology and financial sectors in Asia. His early work included a role as a Senior Marketing Specialist at the computer hardware company GIGABYTE Technology. He later transitioned to journalism, working for the China Economic Review while based in Shanghai, where he wrote about business and finance in China. He also served as a Content Manager for the publication VR-Zone, where he focused on the semiconductor industry, publishing analyses on companies like AMD, Intel, and Nvidia. Following this, Reynolds worked as a PC, gaming, and semiconductor analyst for the market intelligence firm International Data Corporation (IDC) in Taipei, which served as a basis for later work with cryptocurrencies.

He subsequently moved into roles focused on the emerging digital assets industry, working as a reporter for crypto-focused media outlets Forkast.News and Blockworks. At Blockworks, he developed a reputation for his coverage of the Asian market and for using government filings, such as Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, to uncover exclusive stories. On January 2, 2022, it was announced that Reynolds had joined CoinDesk as a journalist on its Asia team, initially based in Taipei with plans to relocate to Singapore. He now serves as a Senior Markets Reporter for CoinDesk, operating from Taipei and Hong Kong. In addition to his reporting, Reynolds is the Vice President of the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers (ACJR), an organization founded in 2020 to promote informed coverage of the cryptocurrency industry. ^{[6] [7] [2] [8] [1] [4] [5] [14]}

Awards and Recognition

Reynolds was a member of the CoinDesk reporting team that received the 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for Breaking News. The award, one of the highest honors in business journalism, recognized the team's extensive and impactful coverage of the swift and unexpected collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX in November 2022. Their reporting detailed the events as they unfolded, including mysterious outflows from the exchange and the subsequent legal proceedings involving its key executives. ^{[1] [3]}

Notable Reporting and Analysis

Reynolds' work focuses on several key areas within the technology and digital asset sectors, often examining the connections between finance, regulation, and international relations.

The Collapse of FTX and Three Arrows Capital

As part of his award-winning work, Reynolds co-authored key stories during the FTX crisis. One article, titled "'FTX Has Been Hacked': Crypto Disaster Worsens as Exchange Sees Mysterious Outflows Exceeding $600M," published on November 12, 2022, reported on the unauthorized withdrawals that occurred immediately after the company filed for bankruptcy. He also covered the legal aftermath, detailing the plea agreement of Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, a central figure in the case. Prior to the FTX collapse, Reynolds investigated the intricate corporate structure of the crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC). In a July 2022 article, he reported on the firm's use of offshore entities and a little-known trading desk, TPS Capital, which complicated efforts by creditors to recover funds after the fund's insolvency. ^[1]

Semiconductors and Geopolitics

Drawing on his background as a semiconductor analyst, Reynolds has written extensively on the global chip industry and its geopolitical significance. In an article for Computerworld, he analyzed how U.S. restrictions on chip exports to China were affecting Taiwan's strategic position as the world's leading semiconductor manufacturer. He explored the concept of Taiwan's "silicon shield", the idea that its dominance in chip production, particularly through TSMC, deters military aggression, and argued that escalating U.S.-China tensions were putting this strategic advantage under pressure. ^{[1] [5]}

Decentralized Finance and Regulation

Reynolds has closely followed the regulatory landscape for decentralized finance (DeFi). In December 2021, he described the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) case against Terraform Labs as potentially "the defining case for DeFi," highlighting its importance for the future of the sector. He has also reported on the technical and philosophical aspects of DeFi protocols, such as in a January 2022 article where he interviewed a co-founder of the crypto mixer Tornado Cash about the protocol's design and its potential to be "unstoppable" by centralized authorities. ^{[9] [1]}

Stablecoins in Emerging Markets

In his market analysis, Reynolds has commented on the practical applications of cryptocurrencies as financial infrastructure. In June 2025, he described the combination of the Tron network and the USDT stablecoin as a critical payment rail in South America and other emerging markets. He argued that its importance in these regions was comparable to that of Visa and Mastercard in the West or Alipay and WeChat Pay in China, suggesting its potential significance for financial infrastructure in Latin America. ^[9]

Public Appearances

Reynolds is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, where he discusses topics related to cryptocurrency, technology, and the media.

• N3Con 2022: He spoke on a panel titled "Media in the Age of web3," which explored the impact of blockchain technology on the media industry, the creation of dedicated cryptocurrency reporter roles at legacy news organizations, and the skills required for journalists covering the metaverse.
• Web Summit Vancouver: Reynolds participated in multiple panels, including "Is fintech ready for a funding rebound?" with Simon Wu of Cathay Innovation, and "Local to global: Strategies for tech success," alongside government officials from Hong Kong and British Columbia.

These appearances cover his expertise in the intersection of media, finance, and technology. ^{[8] [3]}