The Breakdown

Some worry that AI could create a permanent underclass. Can crypto’s next primitive change that — or will value accrue elsewhere? Plus, insight from Daniel Shapiro, Blockworks Research analyst Thanks for tuning in! As always, remember this podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely their opinions, not financial advice. – Follow Blockworks R...

Paul Dylan-Ennis joins David Canellis to discuss decentralization theater, public goods, and the growing tension between crypto’s ideological roots and market-driven reality. – Follow Blockworks Research: https://x.com/blockworksres Follow Paul: https://x.com/post_polar_ Follow David: https://x.com/dcanellis — Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily New...

What does it actually mean to “own” a token? As regulation catches up, the token economy may be facing its biggest identity crisis yet. Plus, a conversation with Paul Dylan-Ennis. Thanks for tuning in! As always, remember this podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely their opinions, not financial advice. – Follow Blockworks Research: http...

The race to be the “most used blockchain” misses the point. This episode examines the metrics behind Solana vs Ethereum — and why usage, revenue, and adoption are being misunderstood — followed by a discussion with Nick Almond on where these networks are actually headed. Thanks for tuning in! As always, remember this podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on...

Privacy is back at the center of crypto’s narrative. This episode examines the limits of on-chain privacy, the role of KYC and the app layer, and how crypto onboarding has changed — before closing with Andrew M. Bailey of the Bitcoin Policy Institute. Enjoy! As always, remember this podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely their opinions,...

Today’s episode is the last episode of The Breakdown with me, NLW. To mark the end of this chapter, this show looks back at the biggest story from each year of the podcast, from the strange early days of 2018 through cycles of collapse, rebuilding, mainstreaming, and normalization, tracing how Bitcoin and crypto evolved alongside the show itself. It’s a reflection on the moments that mattered, the...

Tether has officially launched its US-compliant stablecoin, USAT, a Genius Act–aligned, Treasury-backed token designed to operate squarely inside the American regulatory perimeter, giving the company a powerful hedge as global rules harden and tokenization accelerates. But the bigger story may be what comes next: Tether’s rapid accumulation of gold, now rivaling central banks and openly framed by...

A crypto-native deep dive into the systems, incentives, and power structures shaping the industry. Hosted by David C.

As Washington digs out from a winter storm, there are signs that the long-stalled crypto market structure bill may be inching forward again, with behind-the-scenes negotiations aiming to revive a bipartisan path in the Senate Agriculture Committee. The episode unpacks the competing narratives around whether talks are truly back on track, the political tradeoffs shaping the next markup, and why sta...

Bitcoin stumbles through another Sunday-night slide as gold rips to historic highs, pulling attention and liquidity away from crypto and fueling talk of a speculative metals mania layered on top of genuine macro fear. This episode digs into why gold’s breakout is happening now, how ETF outflows, loss realization, and shaken conviction are weighing on Bitcoin, and why the growing contrast between p...

Brian Armstrong takes Bitcoin to the World Economic Forum as Davos wrestles with the visible unraveling of the old global order, putting the Bitcoin standard, stablecoin yield, and crypto market structure squarely in front of central bankers and political leaders. This episode walks through Armstrong’s exchanges with European officials, Trump and the White House weighing in on legislation, growing...

Markets are selling off across the board as stocks, bonds, and the dollar all fall together, signaling something bigger than a routine drawdown. This episode unpacks why the latest crash feels like a true regime shift, tying together the Japanese bond market shock, escalating trade and geopolitical conflict, and explicit declarations from global leaders that the post–Cold War rules-based order is...

Today’s episode digs into the deepening market structure fallout in Washington, tracing how Coinbase’s withdrawal from the bill triggered White House anger, exposed fractures across the crypto lobby, and reignited bipartisan resistance in the Senate, particularly around DeFi liability and stablecoin yield. The episode explores why stablecoin yield has become the central fault line between banks an...

Bitcoin finally delivered a jolt of life, surging to $96,000 in its biggest move of 2026 and breaking a long stretch of boredom for crypto markets. The episode unpacks why this rally may matter less for its specific catalysts and more for what it signals about liquidity, positioning, and market psychology, with reactions ranging from technical optimism to deep skepticism. It also digs into new dat...

Bitcoin has spent the opening weeks of 2026 trading sideways, but beneath the surface a second phase of institutional adoption is taking shape. This episode unpacks why Morgan Stanley’s move toward a Bitcoin ETF matters, how this “round two” differs from the first era of arm’s-length distribution via ETFs, and why structured products signal deeper strategic intent from Wall Street. The conversatio...

A seismic escalation in the clash between the White House and the Federal Reserve as reports emerge that Fed Chair Jerome Powell is under criminal investigation, raising unprecedented questions about central bank independence, the credibility of US institutions, and the future of the dollar. This episode breaks down what the investigation is actually about, why Powell is framing it as political re...

Morgan Stanley makes a major bet on crypto adoption by filing for in-house Bitcoin and Solana ETFs, a sharp reversal that signals real demand inside its massive wealth management network and another step toward crypto becoming table stakes for traditional finance. The episode also covers MSCI’s decision to keep MicroStrategy in its indexes, the resulting rebound across crypto treasury companies an...

Bitcoin is off to a quietly strong start to the year, notching its longest green streak in months and pushing back toward key resistance levels, but conviction remains conditional as traders debate whether this is the start of a new leg higher or just another trap. Today’s episode looks at the mix of narratives behind the move, from options market shifts and ETF inflows to geopolitical uncertainty...

The capture of Venezuela’s president marks one of the most aggressive geopolitical moves in years, and markets are racing to figure out what it actually means. This episode unpacks why oil barely moved despite Venezuela’s enormous headline reserves, why those reserves may be far less economically meaningful than advertised, and how the real strategic target may be China rather than energy prices....

Bitcoin enters 2026 in a strange and unfamiliar place, coming off a flat year, a post-halving cycle that never caught fire, and a market defined more by boredom than euphoria or panic. This episode catches up on everything that happened over the holiday break, from Bitcoin’s muted price action and crushed altcoins to ETF flows, institutional positioning, and the growing sense that the four-year cy...

The final episode of the year looks back at the forces that actually mattered for Bitcoin and crypto in 2025, and it’s not price. The conversation unpacks how institutional adoption turned Bitcoin into a normalized asset class across TradFi, how the regulatory environment shifted from crackdown to clarity through guidance, enforcement reversals, and stablecoin legislation, and how Trump-era crypto...

Coinbase closes the year with its biggest product overhaul ever, launching commission-free stock trading alongside prediction markets, on-chain Solana trading, custom stablecoins, simplified derivatives, and an AI-powered advisor—signaling a clear ambition to become an everything exchange and a vertically integrated financial institution. The episode unpacks why the crypto-native backlash misses t...

Congress has officially kicked the crypto market structure bill into 2026, a move that surprises no one but still carries real risk as negotiations drag into an election year shaped by shutdown fights, midterms, and deep partisan disagreements over ethics, DeFi compliance, and stablecoin yields. Despite the delay, momentum hasn’t fully died, with ongoing talks, a draft still to come, and the possi...

Bitcoin takes another sharp leg down, wiping out leveraged longs and pushing market sentiment firmly into the anger phase of this bear market. Thin liquidity, failed dip-buying on leverage, and continued whale selling are making a durable bottom hard to form, even as smaller wallets continue to accumulate. Macro pressure from a hawkish Fed, year-end risk aversion, and broader market unease are wei...

Today’s episode breaks down a landmark moment for tokenization as the Depository Trust Company receives SEC approval to begin putting US public market securities on chain. The discussion covers what the no-action letter allows, why DTCC’s role matters, how this could enable 24/7 settlement and programmable assets for stocks, ETFs, and Treasuries, and why this move represents the most credible path...