CoinDesk Podcast Network

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BREAKDOWN: Stablecoins in the Hot Seat as SEC Investigates Circle Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

A new report suggests the Biden administration is weighing regulating stablecoin issuers like banks.

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: Will crypto institutions be allowed to play, or will big banks shove them out?

NYDIG, the institutional-grade platform for bitcoin, is making it possible for thousands of banks who have trusted relationships with hundreds of millions of customers, to offer Bitcoin. Learn more at NYDIG.com/NLW.

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Only in Time” by Abloom. Image credit: kentoh/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

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BREAKDOWN: What the ‘Pandora Papers’ Mean for Bitcoin Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

A new 2.94 terabyte data leak doxes tens of thousands of offshore accounts of prominent individuals including government officials, billionaires and more.

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 haven
What the leaks mean for future crypto crackdowns

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Tidal Wave” by BRASKO. Image credit: Hiroshi Watanabe/DigitalVision/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BREAKDOWN: What’s the Real Point of ‘Crypto’ Anyway? Oct 03, 2021

Show notes

“Long Reads Sunday” tackles the hard questions through Twitter threads.

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 chicken game

https://twitter.com/adamscochran/status/1443392843456864265

Jason Yanowitz on why CryptoPunks will be worth $10m

https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1442896400119832577

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SOB: Voice, Exit and Bitcoin Oct 02, 2021

Show notes

Blockchain technology presents opportunities for dissonant opinions, fractionalization and internal reform unmatched in the fiat world.

Speaking of Bitcoin on the CoinDesk Podcast Network is brought to you by CrystalBlockchain.com

Join hosts Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Andreas M. Antonopoulos as they dissect “Voice and Exit,” or the power and necessity of being able to impact a system, whether financial, social or governmental, and if necessary, leave altogether. “Voice and Exit” was popularized by Balaji Srinivasan in 2013, where Srinivasan outlined how voice is attempting to change a system from within, while exit is leaving to create a new one.

Crypto has provided new methods to exercise voice and exit. Forks, software or protocol changes that users can choose to upgrade to, are an example of exit inherent to blockchain technology. Forks give the community a chance to decide whether to continue with the upgrade or remain in the old rules; forks have created spin-off currencies like Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin SV.

As opportunities for voice and exit seem to be gradually disappearing, can crypto help those who need them most?

Crystal Blockchain is building a better, safer cryptocurrency space with end-to-end solutions for all your analysis, investigative, and compliance needs. The team of world-class experts creating a more transparent crypto economy via blockchain analysis. Learn how to get started at crystalblockchain.com.

Episode art is a photo from Wesley Tingey/Unsplash, modified by Speaking of Bitcoin

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BREAKDOWN: This Overlooked Crypto Tax Provision Would Be a Disaster Oct 02, 2021

Show notes

It’s not the broker provision, but lurks in the same infrastructure bill and could conceivably be worse.

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

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Tidal Wave” by BRASKO. Image credit: Overearth/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BREAKDOWN: Powell Says No Crypto Ban as ‘Uptober’ Kicks Off Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

In comments before the House Financial Services Committee the Fed chair says it’s not his intention to ban crypto.

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On today’s episode, NLW discusses the market mood shift as September becomes October, and looks at:

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

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BREAKDOWN: Why This Autumn Could Be Bitcoin Season Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

From a more favorable regulatory standing to mining fundamentals and adoption, autumn looks like a good time to bitcoin.

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

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
Historical cyclical patterns

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Only in Time” by Abloom. Image credit: TRAVELARIUM/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BREAKDOWN: Is Kraken's Settlement With the CFTC Actually Bullish? Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

With CFTC Commissioner Dawn Stump’s corresponding call for her agency to provide more regulatory clarity, many say the enforcement action is actually a win for crypto.

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 concurring statement, which called upon her colleagues to replace the current guidance - nearly four years old in concept at this point - with real, formalized rules.

Also today on the Brief:

Elizabeth Warren lambastes Fed Chair Jerome Powell
A positive new crypto mining bill from a bipartisan source
Ripple launches a $250 million NFT fund

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Tidal Wave” by BRASKO. Image credit: Marilyn Nieves/E+/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BREAKDOWN: Two Fed Presidents Resign After Embarrassing Trading Revelations Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Plus a Wall Street Journal investigation uncovers hundreds of U.S. judges who ruled on cases involving companies they had investments in.

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

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 interest
The latest macro issues around Evergrande, inflation and more
More crypto companies leaving China for good

NYDIG, the institutional-grade platform for Bitcoin, is making it possible for thousands of banks who have trusted relationships with hundreds of millions of customers, to offer Bitcoin. Learn more at NYDIG.com/NLW.

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Only in Time” by Abloom. Image credit: Cooper Neill/Bloomberg/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BREAKDOWN: Did China Finally Ban Bitcoin for Real? Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

The crypto community weighs in on whether the latest out of the People’s Bank of China is any more significant than previous “bans.”

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

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 of the People’s Bank of China, which seems to make illegal a broad range of crypto trading-related activities that were, if not approved before, at least in a gray area. Huobi has subsequently suspended new Chinese user registrations and will be gradually shutting down all Chinese accounts. NLW looks at what the implications might be for DeFi and for U.S. crypto regulation.

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell and additional production support by Eleanor Pahl. Adam B. Levine is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. The music you heard today behind our sponsor is “Tidal Wave” by BRASKO. Image credit: Iuliya Moshkareva/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.