Naomi Osaka joins FTX family

Tennis star joins as ambassador as part of a larger role with FTX.

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has signed a new partnership with cryptocurrency exchange platform FTX that will not only see her join as a global brand ambassador but also see her get equity stake in the company, with some of the partnership payments set to be made in the digital currency.

The partnership will see FTX gain branding visibility on Osaka’s playing apparel from the Miami Open 2022 along with the Japanese star featuring in various branded content and campaigns for FTX. Osaka will also use the partnership to bring awareness to various social justice causes and mental health as well. She will be focusing on bringing more women onto the FTX platform. 

FTX will also make charitable donations to Osaka’s charitable organisation Play Academy, which she created with Nike and Laureus Sport for Good. Play Academy was launched in Tokyo in 2020 with the goal of bringing change to girls’ lives through sport.

Speaking about her new partnership, Naomi Osaka said:

“We’ve heard statistics on how few women are involved in crypto by comparison, which reflects the imbalance we find in other financial industries.

“Cryptocurrencies were created with the intention of being accessible to everyone and removing entrance barriers.”

Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of FTX, commented:

“Just as FTX is at the forefront of crypto markets, we want to be at the forefront of social change. Our partnership with Naomi Osaka will further our goal of getting more diverse voices involved in the future of digital currency and Web3. I am excited to work with Naomi as we look to educate those groups and create a positive impact in the world.”

The partnership sees Osaka join other global athletes such as Tom Brady, Stephen Curry and baseball player Shohei Ohtani amongster others in FTX’s list of sports ambassadors.