The Breakdown

A daily analysis of macroeconomics, bitcoin, geopolitics and big picture power shifts, hosted by Nathaniel Whittemore @nlw. The Breakdown is part of Blockworks.

Business
Investing
426
Don't Ban Crypto! The Case for Pro-Innovation R...
On this edition of Long Reads Sunday, NLW reads by the Blockchain Association's Kristin Smith. The article is a response to the growing argument against regulation.  Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast: https://pod.link/1438693620 ...
15 min
427
Fighting the Regulatory Rugpull
On this edition of the Weekly Recap, NLW breaks down: Gary Gensler's latest cringey SEC video Coinbase's Wells Notice response  Dual legislative hearings from Thursday  Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast:...
14 min
428
First Republic is a Zombie Bank
All week there has been a high-stakes game of chicken as the Fed, FHLB, FDIC, big banks who pumped $30B into First Republic and FRC itself all try to figure out if this thing can survive. Is it headed for FDIC receievership? Is this how the Biden...
16 min
429
Making the Lightning Network Noncustodial with ...
Bitcoin Builders is The Breakdown Network's new show about the Cambrian explosion of creativity and entrepreneurial energy around Bitcoin and Lightning. In this excerpt from my recent interview with Spiral's Steve Lee, Steve discusses their work on...
11 min
430
The Institutions Are Coming Back to Crypto
Deloitte has hundreds of jobs advertised around digital assets. Franklin Templeton just announced a major blockchain project with Polygon. Standard Chartered Bank is betting on $100k BTC in 2023. The institutions are back, baby.  Enjoying this...
16 min
431
Binance Withdraws Voyager Offer as Coinbase Sue...
Both of today's stories are, on some level, about US crypto politics. The first part of the show focuses on Binance US's beleagured and now withdrawn bid for the Voyager Digital assets. Despite a judge overruling US government objections, it appears...
19 min
432
Raoul Pal Previews the Future: AI, Crypto, QE a...
Raoul Pal is the CEO of Real Vision. On this “Paradigm Shift” episode of The Breakdown, NLW and Raoul discuss: Raoul’s concept of “The Everything Code” and “The Exponential Age” Debt monetization The multipollar world ...
103 min
433
Where Bitcoin Fits as Argentina Faces a Dollar ...
Argentina has one of the highest inflation rates in the world, which some economists are estimating at 133% or more. The Argentine Peso also has one of the highest interest rates in the world. On this episode, NLW discusses recent turmoil at the...
19 min
434
The EU Has Now Become the Global Crypto Regulat...
On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads: - Daniel Kuhn  - Dea Markova Enjoying this content?   SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple:  Spotify: Google:   Join the discussion:   Follow on Twitter: NLW: ...
14 min
435
Hasta La Vista, USA! Crypto Companies Look Abroad
This week Coinbase was on tour in the U.K. and also announced a new Bermuda license, through which it will supposedly soon announce a new derivatives offering. NLW recaps the contrast between the increasingly open arms from the rest of the world and...
14 min
436
A Landmark Moment for Crypto in Europe as MiCA ...
With the passage of MiCA, Europe has jumped out ahead of the U.S. and other jurisdictions when it comes to regulating crypto.  Enjoying this content?   SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple:  Spotify: Google:   Join the discussion: ...
17 min
437
The Case for U.S. Stablecoin Regulation
Last year, the first crypto legislation was supposed to be common-sense rules for stablecoins. The two political parties couldn’t come together, however, and the legislation was scrapped. Now, the House Republicans have reintroduced a draft, and on...
19 min
438
Congress Grills Gensler on Anti-Crypto Stance
Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler has positioned himself as crypto’s biggest opponent in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, however, a House oversight hearing took Gensler to task for his regulation by enforcement and his inability or...
19 min
439
Coinbase Says Without Regulatory Clarity It Wil...
The U.S. regulatory crackdown on crypto seems to be having the exact impact that industry advocates feared, because some of the largest companies in the space consider relocating to more favorable regulatory regimes. This week, Coinbase CEO Brian...
16 min
440
The House Finally Introduces a Stablecoin Bill,...
It’s hard to have good faith dialogue about regulation when one group involved in the discussion doesn't think the industry being regulated should even be allowed to exist. That increasingly seems to be the problem with crypto legislation. Enjoying...
15 min
441
Glassnode's James Check on the Peak Capitulatio...
This episode is an excerpt from my recent interview with Glassnode's James Check. The full interview covers why the recent $30k run-up was spot not leverage driven, why BTC is shifting from whales to smaller holders, and why these markets are much...
9 min
442
The Latest New York Times Bitcoin Mining Hit Pi...
This week’s “Long Reads Sunday” looks at three refutations of the piece, by: - “The Breakdown” is written, produced and narrated by Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive...
19 min
443
Will Withdrawals Drive a New Institutional Ethe...
This week on the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at the Shapella upgrade, including emergent narratives around institutional investment, as well as checking in on the FTX bankruptcy estate and previewing the House Financial Services Committee oversight...
15 min
444
Sergey Nazarov on Why the World Needs a New Mod...
NLW is joined by Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov for the first in “The Breakdown”'s "Paradigm Shift" interview series. Sergey discusses why society's trust model has broken down, how cryptographic truth serves as an alternative, and why this...
68 min
445
An AI Primer for Bitcoiners
On todays show, NLW gives a primer on the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) space, including introducing key concepts such as Generative AI, LLMs and more. He also looks at why bitcoiners have a particularly important vantage point in the...
18 min
446
Inflation Drops Most In 2 Years, but Not Everyo...
Inflation came in at an annualized 5% this month, beating economists’ expectations and dropping to its lowest level in two years. That’s good, right? Well, hold your horses, say some analysts. Services inflation remains sticky, and with recent...
16 min
447
Bitcoin’s Rally to $30K Being Driven by Good Ol...
Description Bitcoin hit $30,000 for the first time since June 2022 last night. On today’s episode, NLW looks at why the evidence suggests this rally is – unlike previous crypto rallies –driven by spot buying instead of leverage trading. He also...
17 min
448
Announcing The Breakdown Network and Bitcoin Bu...
The Breakdown is expanding to become The Breakdown Network. The first spinoff show will be called Bitcoin Builders and is all about the entrepreneurial and creative energy flowing into bitcoin. Learn more about the changes and what you can...
8 min
449
Everyone Is Talking About De-Dollarization, Is ...
On today’s episode of “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at shifting geopolitical alignments, honing in on French President Macron’s recent visit to China, China’s war games in the South China Sea and the growing de-dollarization narrative. ...
17 min
450
Traders Shifting to Tether and BTC Are Voting A...
On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads: - J.P. Koning  - George Kaloudis Enjoying this content?   SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple:  Spotify: Google:   Join the discussion:   Follow on Twitter: NLW: ...
16 min