Blockworks

The Breakdown

The Breakdown dives into the deepest topics in crypto, blockchain, and the macro forces shaping markets and power structures. Each episode breaks down complex ideas into clear, grounded analysis — separating signal from noise across crypto, finance, and geopolitics. Hosted by David Canellis, The Breakdown features explainers, interviews, and conversations with the people building, regulating, and challenging the financial system. A Blockworks podcast. Subscribe to The Breakdown newsletter: https://the-breakdown.carrd.co/

Author

Blockworks

Category

Business

Podcast website

the-breakdown.carrd.co

Latest episode

Jul 6, 2026

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Episodes

The Industry Coalesces Around Ripple’s Battle Against the SEC 05.11.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at: Reports that Twitter is shelving a crypto wallet project Instagram bringing creation and selling of NFTs natively to its platform  Coinbase and Blockchain Association file friend of the court briefs in SEC-Ripple case  Grayscale survey on consumer attitudes towards crypto    - Nexo Pro a...

Jason Choi on How Crypto Investing Can Better Align With Decentralization Goals 05.11.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW is joined by Jason Choi. Jason is an investor with Web3 angel collective Tangent, and also produces the long running “Blockcrunch” podcast (and companion VIP newsletter). In this conversation, he and NLW talk about the state of the markets, why crypto venture capital can be misaligned with the goals of decentralized...

No Pivot and Higher Terminal Rate Talk at FOMC Send Markets Back Down 04.11.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW covers Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Nominally the big news was the fourth consecutive 75 bps rate hike. But the big news was Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell used the presser as an occasion to again remind markets that any talk of pivots or changes is premature. In fact, he shared that data...

Dan Held on Bitcoin and the Battle Against CBDCs 03.11.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   Dan Held is a serial bitcoin entrepreneur, the former head of growth marketing at Kraken and currently an adviser to Trust Machines and other crypto companies. In this discussion, he and NLW talk about the state of crypto narratives, bitcoin maximalism versus bitcoin moderates and why central bank digital currencies are among his top conce...

Can Elon Musk’s Twitter Challenge the Internet’s Advertising Model? 02.11.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW recaps the first few days following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, including who he has fired and brought in, how the company is thinking about content moderation, a new payment plan for verification and, of course, dogecoin.  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fe...

Reflections on the Crypto Market Cycle, With David Hoffman 01.11.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW speaks with David Hoffman, the co-founder of Bankless. They discuss how this bear market is alike and different from the previous one, as well as the state of Ethereum post-Merge.    Find our guest on Twitter: @TrustlessState   - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fee...

What Bitcoin and the Stock Market’s Correlation Really Means 01.11.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads:   “Bitcoin Is Macro, but Not ‘Correlated’ in the Way You Think” – Noelle Acheson  “Why Bitcoin Has Been Highly Correlated With Fiat” – Steven Lubka  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the best possible prices from all the...

Xi and the Shift From Economics to Ideology 29.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW gives an overview of the 20th Chinese Party Congress, including the power moves made by President Xi Jinping, Western reactions and why the leader is shifting from economics to ideology.  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the...

Why Energy Is the Most (Geo)Political Market, With Tony Greer 29.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   In this interview, NLW chats with Tony Greer, a veteran trader and author of the Morning Navigator newsletter. They discuss energy markets, inflation and geopolitics.    Find our guest on Twitter: @TgMacro - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the best possible prices fro...

Why Bitcoin’s Bear Market Hashrate Surge May Not Be Bullish 28.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW catches up on the bitcoin mining industry, and why soaring hashrate and mining difficulty represent something very different in a bear market than they did during the bull.  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the best possible prices from all th...

Crypto Markets Put the ‘Pump’ in ‘Pumpkin’ 27.10.2022

  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the positive price action of the past few days, with an eye to understanding how people are understanding the move. Is it a macro shift and a belief in a coming Federal Reserve pivot? Is it a crypto-specific narrative? Is it the market getting ahead of itself?  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot a...

Reddit NFTs Show People Like Crypto When They Don’t Know It’s Crypto 26.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW looks into how different pre-Web3 tech companies are getting involved with Web3. Specifically, he looks at how Reddit non-fungible tokens (NFT) are lighting up the Reddit community, and how Apple’s new terms might be problematic for Web3 game developers. He also catches up on news that pro-crypto Rishi Sunak will be...

Does the Bank of Japan’s Intervention Spell Trouble for the US Treasury Market? 25.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   “The Breakdown” kicks off the week with a look at one of the big global macro stories shaping markets right now, which is the first Bank of Japan interventions into the country’s currency markets in two decades. Some are speculating the BoJ’s actions could have implications for the U.S. as well because Japan has to liquidate its U.S. Treas...

The Debate Around SBF’s Regulatory Ideas 23.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads Sam Bankman-Fried’s “Possible Digital Asset Industry Standards.”   He also references Erik Voorhees “A Response to SBF and Principled Crypto Regulation” and a thread featuring Scupytruples.  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always g...

Is Voluntary Regulation the Right Approach to DeFi? 22.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at the state of crypto legal proceedings and global regulatory discussions, including: Hodlonaut wins against Craig Wright in Norway Coinbase, Blockchain Association and others file amicus briefs in Grayscale SEC suit  U.K. updates crypto regulation plan EU debates DeFi   (Grayscale is a sub...

The Institutions Aren’t Just Sticking With Crypto, They’re Expanding Their Offerings 22.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW gives the latest in his recurrent theme on “post-narrative institutionalization” – the idea that during the 2022 bear market institutional actors have not only not abandoned the crypto industry but increased their stake with a look forward to the next bull run.  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures...

A Head of Lettuce Outlasted British PM Liz Truss 21.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the short, fitful reign of the U.K.’s shortest-serving Prime Minister, Liz Truss. He argues that the problems with her time in office were not just about British politics, but serve as a reminder of how every global politician is forced to react to forces much larger than their domestic situation.  - Nexo P...

100% Chance of Recession 20.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode of “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at the various signals markets are grappling with, including continued hawkish commentary from the Fedeal Reserve, financial modeling that keeps increasing the likelihood of recession in 2023, better-than-expected data in Q3 earnings but painful data coming from the housing market.  - Nexo P...

A CFTC Commissioner Proposes a New Definition of Retail Investor 19.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW covers a number of stories from across the crypto space, including:  A new definition of retail investors?  Mastercard gets deeper into crypto with Paxos Why BNY Mellon is going bigger on crypto  SEC and CFTC look into Three Arrows Capital Paradigm files amicus brief in the Ooki DAO lawsuit   - Nexo Pro allows...

Are NFTs Still Disruptive in a Zero-Royalty World? 18.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the non-fungible token community’s current debate about royalties. Marketplaces are moving to zero-royalty or royalty-optional models, while many in the space think it is precisely automated royalties that made NFTs so disruptive for artists and creators in the first place. - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on...

Is Bitcoin Maximalism a Historical Aberration? 16.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On this edition of “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads “The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin Culture” by Dr. Paul J. Dylan-Ennis.  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the best possible prices from all the available liquidity sources and can earn interest or borrow funds as you wait...

Why Chip Manufacturing Is at the Center of Great Power Tension 15.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On this episode, NLW provides a 101-style primer on chip manufacturing and why it has become a key geopolitical concern for the U.S. and China, especially over the last few years.  - Nexo Pro allows you to trade on the spot and futures markets with a 50% discount on fees. You always get the best possible prices from all the available liqui...

Are Regulators Spending Too Much Time on Crypto? 15.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW looks at the latest chatter around the crypto industry, including: Jamie Dimon’s newest negative comments on crypto Acting OCC Hsu’s comments that crypto is taking up too much mental bandwidth among regulators  SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s comments about the role of the CFTC in regulating crypto   - Nexo Pro allows you...

Inflation Surprise! Markets Swerve Wildly as Core CPI Rises at Fastest Pace Since 1982 14.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   Today’s release of the September inflation numbers surprised economists with a larger-than-expected growth in inflation – particularly in the core inflation data on which the U.S. Federal Reserve focuses its decision-making. On today’s episode, NLW explores what markets had expected, how they reacted and what it means for what comes next. ...

Post-Narrative Institutionalization vs. Regulatory Enforcement 13.10.2022

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Circle and FTX US.   On today’s episode, NLW covers stories that reflect the two big themes of the 2022 crypto bear market: post-narrative institutional adoption on the one hand, and regulatory enforcement on the other. He covers the news that BNY Mellon has been approved to custody crypto (along with accusations from some in the industry that the approval sho...

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