The Breakdown

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**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/

Latest Episodes:

The Highest Inflation Since 1982 Dec 11, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

November inflation came in at 6.8%, the highest in 39 years. In this episode, NLW looks at:

The state of the inflation discussion following October
Why the Biden administration tried to reframe expectations leading into Friday’s announcement
Why CEOs are selling their stock
Why bitcoin is going down after high inflation

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.

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 Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9ubHdjcnlwdG8ubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M= Join the discussion: https://discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8 Follow on Twitter: NLW: https://twitter.com/nlw Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownNLW

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: Jeffrey Coolidge/Stone/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

Yesterday's Hearing Was Crypto's Most Positive Interaction with the US Government, Ever Dec 10, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

Yesterday the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the future of digital assets. Shockingly to almost everyone, the tone was respectful, collegial and considered, and lawmakers seemed genuinely interested in working toward a greater understanding of the industry.

In today’s episode, NLW covers why the hearing felt different as well as key themes like U.S. dollar hegemony and the rebranding of crypto to “Web 3.”

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

Meet Visa's New Crypto Advisory Unit Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

Today’s episode covers a set of topics, including:

Visa’s new crypto advisory unit
An AWS official is leaving for Unstoppable Domains
AWS downtime brings up questions of decentralized infrastructure
Saule Omarova withdraws nomination for OCC chief
Dan Tapiero’s 10T raises a fresh $500 million
Eric Schmidt joins ChainLink Labs as an advisor
Ubisoft announces NFTs coming to games

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: Thinkhubstudio/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

Is the Decentralization in DeFi an ‘Illusion’? Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

Today’s episode of “The Breakdown” is a grab bag of news stories from the past several days. NLW covers:

The Bank for International Settlements report “DeFi Risk and the Decentralization Illusion”
Regulatory updates from the Biden administration, Japan, the U.K. and India
Institutions leading the selling last week
OpenSea appears headed for IPO

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

Why Bitcoin Crashed Dec 07, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

Today on “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at the dramatic move downward in the crypto markets that started late Friday night U.S. time. He looks at both market structure factors such as low liquidity and thin weekend order books as well as macro factors including, insecurity around the new Omicron variant as well as a tightening Fed policy.

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: iNueng/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

The Innovation at the Heart of the Global Crypto Transformation Dec 05, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

This week’s Long Reads Sunday is a reading of Dan Jeffries’ “The Future of Money: A History.”

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: KTSDESIGN/Science Photo Library/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

Goldman Looking Into Bitcoin-Backed Lending as Jobs Report Disappoints Dec 04, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On this edition of “The Breakdown Weekly Recap,” NLW covers:

The latest jobs report and what it means for Fed policy
Comments from SEC Chair Gensler and a House crypto hearing next week
The latest institutional bitcoin news from Fidelity and Goldman Sachs

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: Nicky Loh/Bloomberg/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

20 Predictions About the Future of Money Dec 04, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

As part of CoinDesk’s Future of Money week, they asked some of crypto’s biggest brains for their predictions on the future of money. In today’s episode, NLW goes one by one through those predictions, saying whether he agrees or disagrees and why.

Read the original: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2021/11/29/the-future-of-money-20-predictions/

How November Bear Market-Proofed the Crypto Industry Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On today’s episode, NLW breaks down investor Travis Kling’s recap of the biggest events in crypto from the month of November. He says two trends are huge capital raises and a focus on NFTs and the metaverse. Both, he suggests, make the crypto markets more resilient to future downturns.

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: No-Mad/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

The Long Strange Journey of Facebook's Libra Project Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On today’s episode, NLW does a retrospective of Facebook’s libra project, which was renamed late last year to diem. He argues that, whatever happens with diem specifically, it has a place in the historical record as the starting gun for a new era in stablecoins and central bank digital currencies.

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, research by Scott Hill 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 “Dark Crazed Cap” by Isaac Joel. Image credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

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