A daily analysis of macroeconomics, bitcoin, geopolitics and big picture power shifts, hosted by Nathaniel Whittemore @nlw. The Breakdown is part of Blockworks.
Dan Tapiero: Crypto Is the First Truly Global M...
Dan Tapiero, founder of 10T, returns to “The Breakdown” to discuss: Investing $750 million into growth equity for digital asset ecosystem startups The number of crypto unicorns growing from 20 to 70 in a year How institutional investor...
46 min
1177
Why Former US Regulators Are Moving Into Crypto
Today on the Brief: NFT volume cools down but interest remains strong Mastercard is acquiring CipherTrace European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve begin preparing for asset purchase tapers this autumn Our main discussion is about the flow...
14 min
1178
Ukraine Legalizes Bitcoin
El Salvador made history on Tuesday, Sept. 7, when it became the first nation to make bitcoin legal tender. In this episode, NLW reviews the first day of bitcoin in El Salvador, including reports from the ground as well as the salty tears of anti-BTC...
17 min
1179
The SEC Threatens to Sue Coinbase but Coinbase ...
Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW briefly covers yesterday’s bitcoin price crash and why it was driven by market structure more than news. The main topic focuses on revelations from Coinbase that after months of engagement around its upcoming Lend...
22 min
1180
It’s Bitcoin Day in El Salvador
El Salvador’s bitcoin legal-tender law goes into effect today. NLW looks at the recent controversy surrounding the law, including: Institutional controversy – why the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank don’t like the law ...
16 min
1181
Balaji Srinivasan: “Bitcoin at $1,000,000 is a ...
This interview originally aired December 19th, 2020. is an angel investor and entrepreneur, the former CTO of Coinbase, a former General Partner at Andressen Horowitz and more. In this wide-ranging conversation with NLW, he discusses: ...
73 min
1182
WTF Is A “Metaverse?”
On this week’s Long Reads Sunday, NLW reads David Hoffman’s recent essay in Bankless Enjoying this content? SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple: Spotify: Google: Join the discussion: Follow on Twitter: NLW: Breakdown:
31 min
1183
Dungeons and Degens: Why Everyone Is Talking Ab...
On this edition of the Weekly Recap, NLW looks at Loot (for Adventurers), the newest NFT sensation. Unlike the “JPEG” or Avatar NFTs, Loot bags are sets of theoretical items for a theoretical game set in a theoretical fantasy world. Created by one...
10 min
1184
The Breakdown’s Official Bitcoin and Crypto Fal...
On this special episode of The Breakdown, NLW looks at what we learned over the summer and what the fall holds for different parts of the crypto industry and surrounding spaces, including: The macroeconomic landscape Regulatory battles Bitcoin ...
16 min
1185
A $1.5T Asset Manager Is Getting Into Bitcoin
Today on the Brief: Binance dinged by Singapore authorities while discussing Binance.us going public Former CFTC Chair Giancarlo leaves BlockFi board of directors after only four months SEC takes action against … Bitconnect? Enjoying...
12 min
1186
Bitcoin Payments Coming to Twitter?
On today’s episode, NLW takes a historical look at Silicon Valley’s relationship with Bitcoin. NLW explores why so many in Silicon Valley missed Bitcoin in the early days, why smart contracts made more sense to them (and fit with their funding...
15 min
1187
DAOs, NFTs and Crypto Derivatives Win Attention...
On today’s episode, NLW breaks down a slew of stories that reflect different aspects of the crypto industry: Billionaire John Paulson doesn’t like crypto FTX US acquires LedgerX Syndicate DAO raises $20 million Layer 1 battles with Ethereum and...
12 min
1188
Jack Dorsey Is Building a Decentralized Exchang...
Today on the Brief: NFTs have a monster month Centre's global network of stablecoins The Cuban government to recognize crypto Our main discussion:In July, Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter and payments company Square, announced that Square was...
13 min
1189
The Weaponization of the Banking System
On this edition of Long Reads Sunday, NLW reads Nic Carter’s latest for CoinDesk “.” The piece provides the history of Operation Choke Point and how the legacy of financial weaponization persists to today. Enjoying this content? ...
11 min
1190
The Race for Stablecoin Transparency
On this week’s Weekly Recap, NLW breaks down the recent history of stablecoins and contextualizes recent news from Tether, Circle and Paxos. Could stablecoin providers be positioning themselves to be the rails of an eventual U.S. digital...
13 min
1191
What Jerome Powell Said at Jackson Hole
The Kansas City Fed’s annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium is sort of like TED for Central Bankers. In the lead-up to this year’s event, the conversation has been totally focused on whether or not Fed Chair Jerome Powell would signal a beginning...
11 min
1192
The World Economy's 'Transitory' Supply Chain I...
First, on the Brief: Bitcoin hash power coming back online A new millionaire testing out crypto An emerging music tokenization platform Bitcoin saw a significant drop in hashrate after China’s mining bans. The network accordingly implemented its...
15 min
1193
Why the Crypto Industry Doesn't Trust the Treas...
First, on the Brief: OnlyFans’ reversal of its decision to ban sexuually explicit content Budweiser’s NFT Twitter profile picture The U.K.’s warnings to Binance Last week, OnlyFans announced it would ban sexually explicit content from its...
13 min
1194
Citi to Trade Bitcoin Futures?
On this episode of “The Breakdown”: Surveys and reports detailing expected institutional adoption Citigroup to trade on the CME Global perception of crypto, CBDCs NFT and DeFi on the rise Bitcoin news from Michael Saylor, Blockstream and Substack...
10 min
1195
Visa Buys a Punk as Bitcoin Returns to $50K
Late Sunday evening, bitcoin pushed above $50,000 for the first time in three months. Overall BTC is up 46% in the last 30 days. NLW explores arguments that this move has been spot driven and connected to institutions and whales. He also looks at the...
13 min
1196
Why Time Is the Ultimate Scarce Asset
This week, “Long Reads Sunday” returns to its Twitter roots with a reading of two threads from crypto VCs. The first comes from Andreessen Horowitz’ and the second from of Multicoin. Together, they paint a picture of the emerging landscape of...
15 min
1197
Why Is the Fed so Scared of Stablecoins?
On this edition of “The Breakdown’s Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at: News that Brian Brooks left Binance.US after a fundraise proved unsuccessful Why Coinbase is investing $500B in crypto The Fed’s discussion of stablecoins at last...
9 min
1198
What's Really Going on With OnlyFans and Paymen...
The tyranny of payment processors as moral barometers strikes again. On Thursday, Axios revealed that OnlyFans was struggling to raise money from outside investors despite being on track to make more than a billion dollars this year. Later in the...
17 min
1199
DeFi Grows in Institutional and Regulatory Impo...
First, on the Brief: Banks and bitcoin Coinbase’s cash reserves Brian Quintenz’s CFTC departure In the main discussion, NLW addresses decentralized finance’s (DeFi) place in regulations as crypto continues to be on the minds of...
13 min
1200
Is Twitter Getting Serious About Decentralized ...
On this episode of “The Breakdown:” Corporate dips into decentralized media, starting with Twitter and TikTok Regulatory difficulties continue for Binance Crypto on the minds of Congress and the SEC Big corporations have been seeing crypto not...