The Breakdown

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.  On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW discusses a set of regulatory discussions happening around crypto this week, including: A letter from eight congressmen asking the SEC for clarity around its crypto enforcement practices. Thursday’s crypto sanctions hearing.  New legislation from Sen. Elizabeth Warren that would give the Treasury...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    On today’s episode, NLW goes deep on the implications of Bored Ape Yacht Club’s parent company Yuga Labs buying CryptoPunks IP. Specifically, he focuses on the community’s questions of commerce versus culture. Will the new commercial freedom Punks’ owners have been bestowed lead to cringe commercialism or new types of creative expression...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.  Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve increased its benchmark interest rate for the first time since 2018. This came despite an increasingly volatile economic landscape that includes the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine plus the supply chain impacts of COVID-19 shutdowns in China. NLW breaks down the market’s reaction to the anticip...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    On today’s episode, NLW looks at recent crypto industry news, including:  Yuga Labs’ purchase of CryptoPunks and Meebits A leak deck about Yuga’s metaverse ambitions HSBC becomes the first bank in The Sandbox Fundraising from ConsenSys and an ex-Meta team  The mayors of Miami and New York City say “HODL”    - Take your crypto to the next...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    Over the past few weeks, China has instituted partial or full lockdowns in Shanghai, Jilin, Shenzhen and other cities. While this story is barely being covered in mainstream media, the crypto and finance communities are concerned that these lockdowns could lead to even more supply chain disruptions at an extremely vulnerable moment for t...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.  Today the European Union Parliament ECON committee voted on an amendment to the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) directive that would have effectively amounted to a ban on proof-of-work chains. NLW breaks down the history and context of the amendment and recaps what happened during the vote.  - Take your crypto to the next level with Nexo....

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads and discusses Nic Carter’s “America’s Quiet Default.”  - Take your crypto to the next level with Nexo. Invest and swap instantly, earn up to 20% APR on your idle assets or borrow cash against them at industry-leading rates. Get started today at nexo.io to receive up to a $100 welcome bonus. V...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW wraps up the week with a look at a growing macro discourse around the possibility of recession, along with catching up on important stories in crypto including the election of a new, pro-crypto president in South Korea.  - Take your crypto to the next level with Nexo. Invest and swap instantly,...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    Earlier this week, Credit Suisse strategist Zoltan Pozsar published a research memo titled “Bretton Woods III” that argued the West’s Russia sanctions were an inflection point moment that would push the world economy into a new world monetary order. In this episode, NLW breaks down the argument, shares some counterpoints and explores wha...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    The U.S. inflation print ran hot again last month, hitting 7.9% year over year and the highest in four decades. In this episode, NLW breaks down the numbers within the numbers. He also previews the evolving politics around inflation and how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made inflation even more front and center in the global economy. ...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    Today, after months of speculation, President Biden signed and released his executive order on crypto. The contents of the order have been subject to significant debate, with some arguing that it would spell the beginning of the end for the U.S. crypto industry. So, were the doomsayers right? Tune in to today’s episode of “The Breakdown”...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus and FTX US.    One of DeFi’s best known developers, Andre Cronje, has left the industry. In this episode, NLW looks at how the markets and the broader crypto community are reacting to the news. In particular, he explores the shifting tone within the sector. Does this dev’s departure make a protracted winter more likely?  - Take your crypto to the next...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus, FTX US and Cointelli.    Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at Russia’s increasing economic isolation. Visa, Mastercard and PayPal all announced their plans to stop servicing the country while Netflix and TikTok also restricted access, citing new “fake news” laws. Meanwhile, the world is grappling with higher prices of key Russian export commodities,...

  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus, FTX US and Cointelli.    This week on “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads and discusses “Bitcoiners Were Right: Weaponized Finance Just Created a Post-Dollar Planet” by David Z. Morris.    - Take your crypto to the next level with Nexo. Invest and swap instantly, earn up to 20% APR on your idle assets or borrow cash against them at industry-leading rates...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus, FTX US and Cointelli.  On this edition of the “Weekly Recap,” NLW checks in on the state of key bitcoin, crypto and economic narratives, from bitcoin’s institutional bid to bitcoin as legal tender to inflation as transitory.  - Take your crypto to the next level with Nexo. Invest and swap instantly, earn up to 20% APR on your idle assets or borrow cas...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus, FTX US and Cointelli.  Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at scrutiny around sanctions and the crypto industry. He talks about three situations that show the state of the discourse: Recent statements by the Treasury Department and the National Security Council suggesting they’re not overly concerned Russia can use crypto to escape the pinch of sancti...

  This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus, FTX US and Cointelli.  Over the last week, the government of Ukraine has held one of the most successful fundraising efforts of all time. It has raised over $50 million in crypto from over 100,000 donation transactions. On today’s episode, NLW tells the story of how the donation campaign started, how the promise of an airdrop super-charged the effor...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io, Arculus, FTX US and Cointelli.    While much of the recent focus of “The Breakdown” has been on the relationship between crypto and geopolitics, today’s episode revisits the institutional narrative that drove industry adoption in 2020 and 2021. NLW looks at Citadel CEO Ken Griffin’s recent comments on crypto, numerous TradFi execs taking jobs in crypto and a B...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Arculus, FTX US and Cointelli.    On today’s episode, NLW looks at the contrasting public images of crypto regarding the Ukraine-Russia war. On the one hand, the Ukrainian resistance has raised more than $30 million from more than 26,000 crypto donations while traditional fundraising platforms block similar efforts. On the other, some politicians and media are ra...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Arculus and FTX US. Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at what we learned over the weekend about the U.S. and European Union’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The West significantly increased its economic pressure on Russia, removing some banks from SWIFT as well as freezing the foreign reserve assets of Russia’s central bank. As Monday dawned, the...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Arculus, and FTX US.   On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads three threads about Russia-Ukraine: "Why You Were Wrong About Ukraine and Will Be Again" by Konstantin Kisin  Autocrats are crazy, with Melissa Chan  Protests, with Sam Greene  - Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Arculus, and FTX US.   This week on the “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at the rising partisan tension around bitcoin, highlighting Sen. Ted Cruz’s recent appearance at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference.  - Nexo 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 Bit...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Arculus, and FTX US.   Today NLW is joined by Anita Posch. Anita is the founder of Bitcoin for Fairness and the author of “(L)earn Bitcoin.” She is about to depart on a trip to southern Africa where she will conduct bitcoin education workshops and seminars while also learning from and collaborating with local grassroots bitcoin and blockchain organizations.    Fo...

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Arculus, and FTX US. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NLW explores 15 key economic questions including: Why isn’t the world going even bigger on sanctions? How is Russia’s economy tied to the rest of the world? Why isn’t Russia scared of sanctions?  Will Russia retaliate by cutting off the world from its exports?  Will we see SWIFT sanctions?  Is ther...

  This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Arculus, and FTX US.   Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at: The latest from Russia, including skepticism about the effectiveness of the first round of sanctions  Updates on Canada’s use of the Emergencies Act to freeze protest-associated bank accounts  Why the UST stablecoin has announced a $1 billion bitcoin reserve    - Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypt...