The Breakdown

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. On today’s episode, NLW looks at the buzz and excitement around a bitcoin futures ETF. The historical moment could be an inflection point for new audiences to get into the asset class. At the same time, there are some who suggest that a bitcoin futures ETF won’t be all it’s cracked up to be.  NYDIG, the institutional-grade platform for bitcoin, is making it poss...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW takes a deep dive into a recent speech by Sir Jon Cunliffe, the Bank of England’s Deputy Governor, Financial Stability. The speech was called “Is ‘crypto’ a financial stability risk?” NLW explores the four reasons Cunliffe is concerned about the potential for crypto to grow into a systemic financial risk. He argues that ultimately t...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at how the United States has been perhaps the greatest beneficiary of the Great Hashrate Migration away from China following the country’s mining ban in May. This has political implications for how bitcoin is treated in the U.S. At the same time, the U.S.’ overall regulatory stance toward crypto remains confused. NLW looks at...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. Ah, Jamie Dimon. One of the longest duration skeptics of bitcoin, and one of the most consistently wrong from a market perspective. Yesterday, the JPMorgan Chase CEO added new material to his anti-bitcoin cannon and Bitcoin Twitter was extremely quick to respond. Indeed, part of that response was colored by general bullishness as bitcoin experienced another surg...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. On today’s episode, NLW looks at recent reports the Biden administration is weighing an executive order on crypto. The order would involve numerous agencies and create a common approach to the industry. Unfortunately, the work is being held up by the fact that the administration doesn’t have anyone who knows about crypto on its team, barring one adviser who recu...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. On this edition of “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads “Revolution, Macro and Micro: Three Ways to Look at a Bitcoin Investment.” Blumberg argues that as bitcoin and digital assets get more mainstream, the industry would do well to better understand the different philosophies that pull in people.  NYDIG, the institutional-grade platform for bitcoin, is making it poss...

On this edition of “The Breakdown Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at supply chain disruptions, including: Natural gas shortages across Europe and the U.K. that could impact electricity prices and even the global food supply Numerous dislocations that are increasing the price of Christmas trees and reducing the availability of presents  Shipping port issues outside of Los Angeles  NYDIG, the institutional...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. On today’s episode, NLW covers some of the topics he’s missed throughout the week, including: A new report from Bank of America that calls digital assets “too big to ignore” US Bank custodying crypto via NYDIG  An underperforming jobs report Bitcoin futures ETF speculation hits fever pitch Chainalysis report on global adoption BitGo sees growing corporate intere...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. On today’s episode, NLW looks at the growing excitement around bitcoin, including: Its decoupling from the stock market  What it means that U.S. institutional-focused CME futures are outpacing Deribit retail-focused international futures  How bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund (ETF) speculation is driving excitement How growing macro insecurity is driving the...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. Today on “The Breakdown,” another major regulatory figure has confirmed he has no intention of bannning crypto. During testimony before Congress this week, Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) asked Gensler if he planned to follow China in banning crypto (the same question Budd asked Powell last week). Gensler’s answer, if not any sort of endorsement of crypto, did make clear...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. On today’s episode, NLW homes in on recent reports surrounding the Biden administration's plans for stablecoins. A new report from the Wall Street Journal says there is a debate between using the Financial Stability Oversight Committee to add new rules for stablecoins and to regulate stablecoin issuers like banks. The crypto industry’s big question seems to be:...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. On today’s episode, NLW breaks down the latest in a string of embarrassing leaks about how the world’s elite and wealthy use offshore accounts to obfuscate ownership and hide their wealth. He looks at:  How the Pandora Papers compare to the 2016 Panama Papers and the 2017 Paradise Papers Examples of surprising revelations  How South Dakota has become a wealth ha...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.   On this week’s edition of “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads four Twitter threads: Alex Gladstein on whether the crypto experiment has failed https://twitter.com/gladstein/status/1442518707926831105 Russian political opposition figure Alexey Navalny on big tech complicity https://twitter.com/navalny/status/1441065558267633666 Adam Cochran on the debt ceiling chick...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.   On this edition of “The Breakdown’s Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at: Hidden crypto tax provision 6050I  Chilling language from British lawmakers around using CBDCs to control citizens’ spending  The Compound political gaffe    - NYDIG, the institutional-grade platform for bitcoin, is making it possible for thousands of banks who have trusted relationships with hun...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.   On today’s episode, NLW discusses the market mood shift as September becomes October, and looks at: Jerome Powell’s comments on crypto bans before Congress El Salvador’s volcano bitcoin mining  Mayor Suarez’s MiamiCoin A Helium initiative to fix the digital divide    - NYDIG, the institutional-grade platform for bitcoin, is making it possible for thousands of...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.   Description On today’s episode, NLW looks at why bitcoin could be poised to grab more mindshare this fall, including: Coming regulatory pressure on DeFi and stablecoins Regulatory clearance for bitcoin (and a bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund) Fundamentals and the great hashrate migration out of China Adoption and proof points on Twitter and in El Salvador...

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG. Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at the $1.25M settlement Kraken just finalized with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which accused the crypto exchange of offering margin lending products without the proper licensing. Many noted the small size of the settlement suggested a more lenient CFTC. More important, however, was CFTC Commissioner Dawn Stump’s...

Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW explores traditional financial system actors behaving badly, including why two Fed presidents are retiring early after revelations that they were actively trading stocks at the height of last year’s market crisis. He also covers: A new WSJ investigation that found 131 federal judges had broken the law by not recusing themselves from cases where they had a financial in...

Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at two major recent stories.  Twitter has added bitcoin tipping features. The features take advantage of the Lightning Network powered by Strike and has started rolling out to iOS users. Additionally, the Twitter team says they’re exploring NFT avatar authentication as well as crypto integration with other monetization features.  Even bigger was the latest out o...

This week’s “Long Reads Sunday” returns to the format’s roots with four threads from Twitter: Chris Dixon on tokens as a new web primitive https://twitter.com/cdixon/status/1440026947036356619 Raoul Pal on the coming change to securities laws https://twitter.com/RaoulGMI/status/1440361603459735556 Cozomo (aka Snoop) on getting into Punks https://twitter.com/CozomoMedici/status/1433587285035913217...

On this edition of “The Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at the heightened state of affairs in the crypto landscape, from celebrity interactions with NFTs to the latest bluster from the SEC. This one goes to 11.  Enjoying this content?   SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1438693620?at=1000lSDb Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/538vuul1PuorUDwgkC8JWF?si=ddSvD-HST2e_...

NLW looks at the current state of crypto markets through numbers, including: Bitcoin illiquid supply  Lightning Network capacity  Evergrande’s debt The total value of CryptoPunks  And more Enjoying this content?   SUBSCRIBE to the Podcast Apple:  https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1438693620?at=1000lSDb Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/538vuul1PuorUDwgkC8JWF?si=ddSvD-HST2e_E7wgxcjtfQ Googl...

Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW examines the upcoming Federal Reserve winding down, or taper, of its support for the markets. This includes scaling back its bond-buying programs, a process that could begin as early as next month and conclude the middle of next year. Plus, the Fed may raise interest rates before the end of 2022. Additionally, on the Brief, he covers: A $50 million fundraise for a for...

Today on the Brief: BlockFi gets another extension Chainalysis’s secret data honeypot Robinhood crypto finally gets transfers In our main discussion, NLW talks how crypto has mainstreamed over the last year, including: Bitcoin for hedge funders Bitcoin for El Salvador NFTs for NBA fans NFTs for crypto OGs and celebrities  He specifically looks at what rapper Snoop Dogg’s anon account disclosure in...

Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at reports from Messari’s Mainnet conference that the Securities and Exchange Commission served one of the speakers with a subpoena right before a panel. He discusses: The growing tension between securities regulators and crypto lending and interest programs Why Coinbase backed down from its fight with the SEC about its upcoming Lend product  The non-news from t...