The Breakdown

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First Republic's Failure Shows the Limits of Fed Bank Programs May 01, 2023

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After an extended ordeal, beleaguered First Republic Bank has been seized and sold to JP Morgan Chase. NLW covers the build up, the specifics of the deal, and why the example of First Republic illustrates the limits of what the Fed can control.

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“The Breakdown” is written, produced and hosted by Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW. Research is by Scott Hill. Editing is by Rob Mitchell and Kyle Barbour-Hoffman. Our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach.

Don't Ban Crypto! The Case for Pro-Innovation Regulation Apr 30, 2023

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On this edition of Long Reads Sunday, NLW reads "The Case for Regulating, Not Banning, Crypto" by the Blockchain Association's Kristin Smith. The article is a response to the growing argument against regulation.

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Fighting the Regulatory Rugpull Apr 29, 2023

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On this edition of the Weekly Recap, NLW breaks down:

Gary Gensler's latest cringey SEC video
Coinbase's Wells Notice response
Dual legislative hearings from Thursday

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First Republic is a Zombie Bank Apr 28, 2023

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All week there has been a high-stakes game of chicken as the Fed, FHLB, FDIC, big banks who pumped $30B into First Republic and FRC itself all try to figure out if this thing can survive. Is it headed for FDIC receievership? Is this how the Biden Admin signals it won't bail out everyone?

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Making the Lightning Network Noncustodial with Spiral's Steve Lee [Bitcoin Builders Excerpt] Apr 28, 2023

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Bitcoin Builders is The Breakdown Network's new show about the Cambrian explosion of creativity and entrepreneurial energy around Bitcoin and Lightning. In this excerpt from my recent interview with Spiral's Steve Lee, Steve discusses their work on the Lightning Developer Kit and their approach to making Lightning easier to use in a non custodial way.

To follow and subscribe to Bitcoin Builders, find it wherever you listen to podcasts: https://pod.link/1680067216

The Institutions Are Coming Back to Crypto Apr 27, 2023

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Deloitte has hundreds of jobs advertised around digital assets. Franklin Templeton just announced a major blockchain project with Polygon. Standard Chartered Bank is betting on $100k BTC in 2023. The institutions are back, baby.

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Binance Withdraws Voyager Offer as Coinbase Sues the SEC Apr 26, 2023

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Both of today's stories are, on some level, about US crypto politics. The first part of the show focuses on Binance US's beleagured and now withdrawn bid for the Voyager Digital assets. Despite a judge overruling US government objections, it appears Binance has decided it's more trouble than it's worth. Coinbase meanwhile, has filed suit against the SEC around that agencies failure to respond to a Coinbase petition filed last year to receive better clarity on which cryptoassets are securities and why.

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Raoul Pal Previews the Future: AI, Crypto, QE and the next Phase of Human Flourishing or Upheaval Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

Raoul Pal is the CEO of Real Vision. On this “Paradigm Shift” episode of The Breakdown, NLW and Raoul discuss:

Raoul’s concept of “The Everything Code” and “The Exponential Age”
Debt monetization
The multipollar world
De-dollarization
Money for a trustless world
AI and consensus reality
AI as the Biggest Disinflationary shock ever
And much much more

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Where Bitcoin Fits as Argentina Faces a Dollar Shortage and 100%+ Inflation Apr 24, 2023

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Argentina has one of the highest inflation rates in the world, which some economists are estimating at 133% or more. The Argentine Peso also has one of the highest interest rates in the world. On this episode, NLW discusses recent turmoil at the central bank and where some Argentinian bitcoiners think Bitcoin fits into the solution.

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The EU Has Now Become the Global Crypto Regulatory Leader Apr 23, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads:Why the EU Has MiCA and the US Has Securities Laws Confusion - Daniel Kuhn

Is Europe’s MiCA a Template for Global Crypto Regulation - Dea Markova

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“The Breakdown” is written, produced and narrated by Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Michele Musso and research by Scott Hill. Jared Schwartz is our executive producer and our theme music is “Countdown” by Neon Beach. Music behind our sponsor today is “Foothill Blvd” by Sam Barsh.

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