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:

Why This Autumn Could Be Bitcoin Season Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

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
Historical cyclical patterns

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: TRAVELARIUM/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

Is Kraken's Settlement With the CFTC Actually Bullish? Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

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.

Two Fed Presidents Resign After Embarrassing Trading Revelations Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

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

This episode is sponsored by NYDIG.

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.

Did China Finally Ban Bitcoin for Real? Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

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.

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 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.

Is Crypto at a Socio-Regulatory Inflection Point? Sep 26, 2021

Show notes

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
Kris Sidial on why millennial investing is not the same https://twitter.com/Ksidiii/status/1434299567974100996

Weekly Recap: What Happens When S*** Gets Real Sep 25, 2021

Show notes

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.

Bitcoin Is the Most Illiquid It’s Ever Been: 12 Numbers That Tell the Current Story of Markets Sep 25, 2021

Show notes

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

“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: Vertigo3d/E+/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

The Dreaded Federal Reserve Taper Is Coming Sep 24, 2021

Show notes

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 former ConsenSys exec
A new social token focused accelerator
Invesco and Galaxy team on crypto ETFs

“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: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk.

Snoop Is Medici? The Mainstream Infiltration Continues Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

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 the space means for the future.

“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: Gary Miller/Getty Images Entertainment, modified by CoinDesk.

Did the SEC Really Serve Subpoenas at Mainnet? Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

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 today’s Gary Gensler webinar
OFAC’s first sanctions against a crypto exchange.

“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: Lyubchik Prokopchuk/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by CoinDesk.

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