The Breakdown

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Powell and Yellen Talk Stablecoins, Inflation and Debt Dec 01, 2021

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This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On today’s episode of ”The Breakdown,” NLW follows up on Twitter’s leadership change, covering a new privacy policy that some are saying has big implications for the platform. He also looks at Sen. Sherrod Brown’s letter to stablecoin issuers from last week and discusses Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony before the Senate today.

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 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: Alex Wong/Getty Images News, modified by CoinDesk.

What Jack Dorsey Leaving Twitter Means for Bitcoin Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On today’s episode, NLW looks at two topics. The first is the market crash that left bitcoin down 8.5% on Friday, only to partially recover over the weekend. NLW looks at the combination of macro factors – led by the Omicron COVID-19 variant – that may or may not have contributed to the turbulence. Second, he looks at the announcement that Jack Dorsey is stepping down from the CEO role at Twitter, to be replaced by Chief Technology Officer Parag Agrawal. What will this mean for bitcoin? Will Jack be spending more time on the cryptocurrency now? And what about Ethereum? Will a Web 3 blocker inside Twitter now be removed? What about censorship and the Twitter platform itself?

America and the Metaverse Nov 28, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW draws from two threads by @punk6529 on Twitter:

On a Pathway to an Open Metaverse

On America and Crypto

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Alyse Killeen on Why Bitcoin Was Ready for Nation-State Adoption Nov 27, 2021

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This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On the final part of his three-part miniseries “Gratitude for Bitcoin,” NLW is joined by Stillmark’s Alyse Killeen, a venture capitalist focused entirely on the bitcoin ecosystem. Alyse explains how remarkable it was that bitcoin was ready for nationwide adoption in El Salvador and gives a preview on what she thinks is coming to the network in 2022.

Find Alyse Killeen on Twitter: @AlyseKilleen

Dan Held on the Mainstreaming of Bitcoin Nov 26, 2021

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This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

On part 2 of NLW’s three-part “Gratitude for Bitcoin” miniseries, he’s joined by serial bitcoin entrepreneur and Kraken’s director of growth marketing, Dan Held. Dan discusses the changes happening as bitcoin goes mainstream and argues that this sort of change is inevitable.

Find Dan Held on Twitter: @danheld

Dylan LeClair on Bitcoin Data Where Macro Meets Micro Nov 24, 2021

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This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

Today, NLW kicks off his “Gratitude for Bitcoin” three-part miniseries with Bitcoin Magazine and UTXO Management bitcoin analyst Dylan LeClair.

Find Dylan on Twitter: @DylanLeClair_

What Jerome Powell’s Second Term Means for Bitcoin Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

This week, after months of speculation, President Joe Biden has named Jerome Powell to a second term as Federal Reserve chairman. His most likely alternate, Lael Brainard, was promoted to vice chairwoman. On today’s episode of “The Breakdown,” NLW looks at why full employment remains at the centerpiece of the Fed agenda even as the nominations herald a narrative pivot on inflation. He also discusses the likely impacts to bitcoin, stablecoins and crypto more broadly.

Are El Salvador’s Bitcoin ‘Volcano Bonds’ an End Run Around the IMF? Nov 23, 2021

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This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

Today on “The Breakdown,” a check in on El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has just announced “Bitcoin City,” a new community that will feature no income or capital gains tax and be designed to attract talent from around the world. The effort is being funded in part by a $1 billion bond that some are calling the “Volcano Bond.” The bond will be tokenized by Blockstream on Liquid and available for trade on Bitfinex. NLW covers the bitcoin world’s reaction to the news (as well as some fintwit skepticism).

Are Stablecoins the Path to Continued Dollar Dominance? Nov 21, 2021

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

In today’s Long Reads Sunday, NLW goes back to read excerpts from two Nic Carter pieces that seem particularly prescient today, as the U.S. weighs the opportunities and risks of stablecoins.

Policymakers Shouldn't Fear Digital Money: So Far It's Maintaining the Dollar's Status

The Crypto-Dollar Surge and the American Opportunity

“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Michele Musso & Adrian Blust, 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: Thom Lang/The Image Bank, modified by CoinDesk.

What Billions of Dollars in Crypto Fundraising Says About the Bull Market Nov 20, 2021

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This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

Description

From $400 million to a crypto exchange to $2.5 billion for the biggest crypto fund in history, NLW tells the story of this week’s big fundraising events by the numbers.

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