a ponzi scheme reports a profit, and pays out that profit to early investors. (the payout is actually later investors inflow.)
the only one of the ones you mentioned that is actually a ponzi scheme is the "delivering a yield." its the yield delivery, aka dividend, that makes it a ponzi scheme, not just fraudulently running away with the money. the scheme works because people get paid out regularly, and have no reason to believe their money isnt working for them.
exactly how crypto works.
That is not a ponzi scheme. The selling of the asset to the next sucker, and the price going up, and each person in line getting to shave some profit off the next person is not a ponzi scheme. (It's also exactly how non dividend end paying stocks work. The stock is only worth what the next person is willing to pay.) Youve described a pump and dump.
A ponzi scheme has a mechanism to give a fraudulent "RETURN" to investors that HOLD. That is the definition.
Everyone is now using ponzi to mean any sort of scheme including ponzi, pump and dump, etc. But thats not what the word ponzi actually means. And when you say things like "by definition" we need to stick to the actual definition.
""" You can now earn yield on your crypto purchases and deposits, as well as your fiat balances, in your FTX app! By opting in and participating in staking your supported assets in your FTX account, you’ll be eligible to earn up to 8% APY on your assets. """
How does one provide 8% yield on BTC I have no idea.
To me, FTX is a classic Ponzi scheme according to the most uncontroversial definitions of "Ponzi scheme".
Sure, there's fraudlent accounting, and wash trading, and other bullshit, but that's all just the some and mirrors that allows the ponzi scheme to work.