CoinDesk Podcast Network

A reading of Bitcoin author Nik Bhatia’s latest essay. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads Layered Money author Nik Bhatia’s recent essay for CoinDesk, “Why $1 Million Bitcoin Is Coming.” - Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 5.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 75+ market pairs with the t...

Morgan Stanley, New York Life, JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are just some of the traditional finance institutions in the crypto news this week. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. On The Breakdown’s “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at news of institutional involvement in the bitcoin and digital asset space including: New York Life investing in and joining the board of directors of NYDIG JPMorg...

The U.S. has now spent more on COVID-19 than on World War II. Here’s what it might mean for bitcoin.  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. COVID-19 sent the money printer into overdrive. With the newly signed $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, the total spent on pandemic relief in the U.S. exceeds $6 trillion, more than WWII’s inflation-adjusted $4.1 trillion.  In this episode, NLW explores...

The record-setting NFT auction is generating significant discussion about art, crypto and the state of the macro economy. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. Everyone paying attention knew that Beeple’s Christie’s auction was likely going to set a new high-water mark for non-fungible token (NFT) sales. Fewer would have guessed that it would lead to the third-highest auction price for...

The news comes just days after NYDIG’s announcement of a $200 million financing round including New York Life, Mass Mutual and George Soros as investors.  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. Today on The Breakdown, NLW catches up on the news from the past few days, looking at: NFTs heating up – and capturing some negative attention in the process Infrastructure acquisitions and M&A he...

From the Middle East to the South China Sea, a look at the most volatile parts of the world and what they mean for the macroeconomic landscape. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. On today’s episode, NLW is joined by investor and FinTwit star Tracy Shuchart. On the show, they discuss: The world’s most important geopolitical fault lines, from the Middle East to China The early indicato...

Why CBDCs are growing as a focus for governments, and what impact they’ll really have on bitcoin. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. On today’s episode, NLW provides a 101-style overview of central bank digital currencies, looking at: Why governments are interested in CBDCs Why Facebook’s libra announcement accelerated CBDC development the world over Why China’s CBDC efforts are driv...

A reading of Balaji Srinivasan’s recent essay “How India Legalizes Crypto.” This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. On today’s episode, NLW reads Balaji Srinivasan’s essay “How India Legalizes Crypto.” NLW argues that while India’s proposed crypto ban is nominally the focus, the implications are much bigger and have to do with a forthcoming global monetary competition that will inevitably...

A survey of pensions, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds and more affirms growing institutional interest in crypto. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. On this edition of The Breakdown’s weekly recap, NLW looks at: Whether bitcoin is being caught up in the larger macro volatility The latest NFT shenanigans including a burned IRL Banksy The latest on institutional adoption including a...

A macro expert gives a rollicking 101-style overview of some of the most important market concepts for bitcoiners. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. What are Treasury bonds? Why does it matter how they’re doing? Does the Federal Reserve actually print money? What’s the difference between quantitative easing and yield curve control?  Bitcoin undeniably operates in a macro environment...

As the financial world debates rising Treasury yields and waits for Fed Chair Powell’s comments, has bitcoin just become another risk asset?  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. Over the last year there has been a growing correlation between the stock market and bitcoin. Some of this is attributed to the new traditional participants in bitcoin. Some of it is attributed to bitcoin acti...

Gary Gensler’s confirmation hearing and Warren’s appearance on cable financial news give us a preview of crypto’s place in a new political landscape. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. Today on the Brief: PayPal acquiring Curv for $500 million? Traditional markets are very confused Portnoy launches Buzz exchange-traded fund Our main discussion: NLW looks at the emerging political lan...

As musicians, celebrities and social media stars pile into the space, should we be getting concerned? This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. On today’s episode, NLW looks at the explosion of interest in NFTs. Big money, big names, big problems?  He asks whether non-fungible tokens are this cycle’s initial coin offerings by looking at five different comparison points: Inflated prices Over...

A 108-page report from the bank argues that in the future, bitcoin could become the preferred currency for international trade.  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Casper. Today on the Brief: Michael Saylor bought the dip China bans bitcoin mining in Inner Mongolia WallStreetBets moving off Reddit?  Our main discussion: Citi’s analysis of bitcoin.  February saw a non-stop barrage of bullish...

A reading of Human Rights Foundation CSO Alex Gladstein’s latest essay. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. Today on “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads “Can Governments Stop Bitcoin?” by Alex Gladstein, published recently by Quillette. Gladstein argues that both technical and legal attacks on bitcoin are extremely difficult to execute, even for large governments.  - Earn up to 12% APY on Bitcoin, Et...

NFTs had a major week, with Christie’s Auctioning off its first-ever digital art exclusive and a different NFT selling for $6.6M.  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. This week on the Weekly Recap, NLW discusses: The price dip Tether’s settlement with the NYAG Coinbase’s S1 Filings Beeple’s record-setting NFT sales and what it means for the NFT space as a whole This week on The Breakdown: Monday...

The ARK Investment founder discussed bitcoin’s opportunity to act as a replacement store of value at the Bloomberg Crypto Summit. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. Today on the Brief: SEC investigating Elon’s DOGE tweets? US income growth has second biggest monthly gain ever Robinhood growth suggests crypto mainstreaming Main discussion: Cathie Wood thinks Bitcoin could replace bonds. In this...

As more investors focus on the environmental, social and governance impacts of their decisions, an argument for why bitcoin is ESG-friendly.  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. In today's episode, NLW looks at how bitcoin fits with the growing trend of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investing. In it, he:  Argues that ESG investors should disregard the false idea that bitcoin is only us...

Square added $170M in bitcoin to its reserves last quarter, while MicroStrategy announced a fresh $1B bitcoin buy today.  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. Today on the Brief: Fed Chair Jerome Powell comments on markets and digital currency Cathie Wood’s ARK faces toughest stretch since last September  India’s latest anti-crypto sentiment  Our main discussion: More news on corporate bitcoin bu...

The case showed Tether and Bitfinex’s track record of misleading statements and dubious practices, but gave no credence to claims that tethers were printed to manipulate markets.  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. On today’s episode, NLW breaks down the final settlement of the New York Attorney General’s case against Tether. He argues that the outcome is extremely positive for the industry, di...

The Purpose Bitcoin ETF BTCC could be Canada’s biggest ETF in a matter of weeks. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. Today on the Brief: Welcome back to the price rollercoaster The latest from China’s digital yuan trial A 3-week sprint to a stimulus package Our main discussion: Canada’s first bitcoin ETF NLW discusses: ETF 101 Pros and cons of a bitcoin ETF History of bitcoin ETF proposals  Earl...

A reading of Alex Treece’s recent CoinDesk op-ed, “Why the US Needs Bitcoin.” This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads Alex Treece’s recent essay “Why the US Needs Bitcoin.” The piece argues the U.S. will inevitably adopt bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, but by doing so sooner rather than later it can enjoy geopolitical advantages.  NLW follows with a...

What we learned from the congressional hearing featuring representatives from Reddit, Melvin Capital, Citadel Securities and Robinhood. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. This week, instead of our normal Weekly Recap, NLW digs into Thursday’s congressional hearings around GameStop, Robinhood and WallStreetBets.  He explores:  Why there was a significant focus on T+2 settlement  Bipartisan agree...

The milestone isn’t just psychological, and potentially opens entire new groups of investors who couldn’t participate previously. This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. Bitcoin is officially a $1 trillion asset. As the price surged over $54,000, the total market cap of bitcoin reached the new all-time high.  In this episode, NLW explores the significance of the milestone, arguing: There has been a...

A conversation with the author of the new book “Layered Money: From Gold and Dollars to Bitcoin and Central Bank Digital Currencies.” This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io. Nik Bhatia is a financial researcher, a CFA charterholder and an Adjunct Professor of Finance and Business Economics at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.  Nik’s new book “Layered Money: From Gold...