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
1026
Why KPMG's Bitcoin Buy May Be a Bigger Deal Lon...
This episode is sponsored by , , and . KPMG Canada announced Monday it added BTC and ETH to its balance sheet, as well as buying carbon credits to offset its new environmental impact. On today’s episode, NLW explores how the market and crypto...
16 min
1027
Is the Bull Market Back?
At the end of last week, bitcoin reversed a couple months of downward momentum and reclaimed $40,000. Now, as momentum builds, the community is wondering whether this is a temporary reprieve or a fundamental turn back to the bullish. NLW shares a...
16 min
1028
Why Web 3 and Digital Money Should Be Private b...
On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads:    – Murtaza Hussain – Tor Bair   - is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 18% APR on...
14 min
1029
Meta Loses a Quarter-Trillion Dollars in Market...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at Meta’s big flop in the equities markets and how it's spilling over into crypto metaverse tokens. He also looks at the Boston Fed’s CBDC research...
14 min
1030
Crypto and the Global Competition for Talent, W...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   Patrick Stanley is the former Head of Growth at Stacks, the founder at Freehold and a contributor at CityCoins. In this conversation, he and NLW discuss one of the biggest trends for the coming decade –...
46 min
1031
The Battle to Change How the IRS Taxes Mining a...
This episode is sponsored by , and . Two Tezos stakers sued the IRS to get back taxes paid on property they say they created through staking. The IRS offered to pay them back but didn’t commit to clear policy guidance. The stakers will now continue...
14 min
1032
India Heading Toward Crypto Legalization?
One of the key themes for 2022 is the relationship between governments and the crypto industry. On today’s show, NLW looks at the latest from India, one of the countries with the highest degree of speculation on whether banning or regulation is the...
13 min
1033
Bullish or Bearish? 2022 Markets Started Rough,...
Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at what the first month of the year taught us about what to expect in 2022. Overall, he argues that the most important megatrend was the shift from risk-off to risk-on as the U.S. Federal Reserve looks towards...
16 min
1034
Unpacking Arizona's Bitcoin Legal Tender Proposal
This episode is sponsored by , and .      On today’s episode, NLW looks at a proposal moving through Arizona’s Senate to make bitcoin legal tender. He explores: The specifics of the Arizona proposal The controversial author of the...
16 min
1035
The Big Numbers from Ark's Big Ideas Report
On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW pulls out some of the most interesting data from innovation investor .    - is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn...
13 min
1036
Are NFTs the True Store of Value?
This episode is sponsored by , and .    On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW examines why NFTs are having their best month ever, even as the rest of the crypto market bleeds value.   - is a powerful, all-in-one crypto...
13 min
1037
The 3 Most Thought-Provoking Questions in Bitco...
  This episode is sponsored by , and .    On today’s episode, NLW is joined by Nik Bhatia, author of “Layered Money” and newsletter. They discuss: Bitcoin’s relationship with equities and the TradFi markets Why the Fed is...
41 min
1038
A Crypto Industry Poison Pill Hidden in the Ame...
This episode is sponsored by , and .    Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at a topic that has seized the attention of the crypto policy community. Hidden in the America COMPETES Act is a change to the Bank Secrecy Act that would allow...
16 min
1039
El Salvador's Battle With the IMF Is Bigger Tha...
This episode is sponsored by , and .    When Nayib Bukele announced that El Salvador would be making bitcoin legal tender, the international monetary establishment acted with some amount of skepticism. When he announced the nation would be...
14 min
1040
The State of DAOs With Syndicate’s Ian Lee
This episode is sponsored by , and .    Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW is joined by , co-founder at Syndicate. Syndicate helps groups tap into Web 3 tools to transform investing and capital allocation. Today Syndicate announced their...
67 min
1041
After Bloody Weekend, Crypto Market Sentiment G...
This episode is sponsored by , and .  On today’s episode, NLW looks at the growing bearish sentiment around the crypto industry. The culprit, he argues, is a deepening macro malaise that has been exacerbated by growing concerns about war in...
17 min
1042
What Facebook’s Patents Tell Us About the Fight...
On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads David Z. Morris’ “.” - is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins....
12 min
1043
What Happened at Congress’ Bitcoin Energy Hearing?
This episode is sponsored by , and .    This week on the “Weekly Recap,” NLW breaks down the House hearing on energy in the crypto industry. He looks at problems with the advance memo and provides refutations of some of the...
14 min
1044
The Federal Reserve Shares Its Thinking About a...
This episode is sponsored by , and .  For more than a year, the Federal Reserve has been talking about a forthcoming paper on central bank digital currencies in the U.S. Now that the paper has finally been released, NLW walks us step by step...
17 min
1045
Is Russia Trying to Ban Bitcoin?
This episode is sponsored by , and .   NLW covers stories that show the full breadth of the crypto industry in 2022. In the first, he looks at a new report from the Russian central bank advocating a near-total ban on bitcoin and crypto in...
14 min
1046
A $4.2T Asset Manager Just Said Governments Wil...
On today’s episode, NLW looks at the latest from governments and crypto, including: India’s prime minister calling for global cooperation to “fight” crypto Pakistan’s security agency blocking crypto sites  The U.K., Singapore and Spain...
17 min
1047
Microsoft Bets on Metaverse With $69B Acquisiti...
This episode is sponsored by , and .  Microsoft today announced it is acquiring game publisher Activision Blizzard in a nearly $69 billion all-cash deal. The acquisition is being widely seen as a big bet to keep Microsoft competitive in the...
16 min
1048
A Former US Senator and Ambassador to China on ...
This episode is sponsored by , and . This week’s “Long Reads Sunday” reading is Max Baucus’ “.”  Enjoying this content?   SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple:  Spotify: Google:   Join the discussion:   Follow on...
12 min
1049
‘Every Company Will Be a Crypto Company’; A Ven...
This episode is sponsored by , and .   In today’s “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at a slew of funding rounds announced this week, including: Near Protocol, $150 million ZeroHash, $105 million Checkout.com, $1 billion SEBA, $119 million DeFi...
13 min
1050
Rio de Janeiro is the Newest Bitcoin City
This episode is sponsored by , and . This was, NLW argues, a very good week for crypto. He covers: The mayor of Rio announcing big bitcoin/crypto support this week  Strike launching in Argentina Northwest Arkansas offering tech workers $10,000...
15 min