Author: CoinDesk

Plus an argument to take another look at ICOs.

On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads:

“The Narrative Problems With Crypto VC” – Regan Bozman

“What’s Holding DAOs Back” – Scott Fitsimones 

“Initial Coin Offerings Deserve a Rethink” – Don Phan 

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Join the most important conversation in crypto and Web3 at Consensus 2023, happening April 26-28 in Austin, Texas. Come and immerse yourself in all that Web3, crypto, blockchain and the metaverse have to offer. Use code BREAKDOWN to get 15% off your pass. Visit consensus.coindesk.com.

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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell 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. Image credit: cmannphoto/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.

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A roundup of the week’s most valuable crypto stories for Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. 

Missed any episodes of “The Hash” this week? Today’s recap episode will get you caught up.

“Hash Headlines” rounds up this week’s headline stories, including:

• Binance Partners With Mastercard to Launch Crypto Card in Brazil
• Bankrupt Crypto Exchange FTX Had Around $1.4B Cash at End of 2022
• Charlie Munger Calls for Crypto Ban in the US

Links to the headlines:  

Binance Partners With Mastercard to Launch Prepaid Crypto Card in Brazil

Bankrupt Crypto Exchange FTX Had Around $1.4B Cash at End of 2022

Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger Calls for Crypto Ban in the US

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger Still Hate Crypto

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This episode has been edited by Michele Musso. Our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “Neon Beach.”

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

While the official exchange rate is down 90%, the black market is still trading at less than 25% of the official rate.

This week, the Lebanese pound (or lira) was devalued from 1,500 lira per U.S. dollar to 15,000 lira per USD. At the same time, the black market price of a dollar is 64,300 lira. In this episode, NLW gives the story behind the headlines and tweets, and explains why the World Bank calls Lebanon one of the worst economic crises in the last 150 years. 

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Join the most important conversation in crypto and Web3 at Consensus 2023, happening April 26-28 in Austin, Texas. Come and immerse yourself in all that Web3, crypto, blockchain and the metaverse have to offer. Use code BREAKDOWN to get 15% off your pass. Visit consensus.coindesk.com.

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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell 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 “Swoon” by Falls. Image credit: Malcolm P Chapman/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.

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

The most valuable crypto stories for Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. 

"The Hash" team discusses today's top stories, including Binance inviting Zanmai Labs, the entity operating the Indian crypto exchange WazirX, to work out arrangements to withdraw any remaining assets held in Binance wallets, according to a blog post on Friday. Separately, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, aka 'CZ,' discusses his time management guidelines in a recent blog post. Plus, Russia's largest bank Sberbank will release a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform by May this year, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.

See also: ​​

Binance-WazirX Dispute Rages as the Indian Crypto Exchange Is Told to Move Funds Out of Binance

Russia's Sberbank Will Introduce DeFi Platform by May: Report

Binance Re-Enters South Korea by Buying Majority Stake in Crypto Exchange GOPAX

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This episode has been edited by Michele Musso. Our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “Neon Beach.”

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

New Hampshire is looking to promote bitcoin mining as part of its energy program.

Bitcoiners are no stranger to environmental FUD. NLW argues, however, that there are more and more examples of mainstream media telling the story of bitcoin mining’s potential for positive environmental impact. What’s more, some of that thinking is finding the way into state government actions. 

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Join the most important conversation in crypto and Web3 at Consensus 2023, happening April 26-28 in Austin, Texas. Come and immerse yourself in all that Web3, crypto, blockchain and the metaverse have to offer. Use code BREAKDOWN to get 15% off your pass. Visit consensus.coindesk.com.

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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell 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. Image credit: Gandee Vasan/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.

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

What is the underpinning structure of money worldwide? Do we still need public money as we move into a more digital world?

On this episode of “Money Reimagined,” Michael Casey, solo in Davos, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, speaks with Neha Narula, the director of the MIT Digital Currency Initiative to discuss the trends of both digitalization and innovation pertaining to stablecoins, digital currencies and the future of public money, 

Their conversation takes a deeper dive into the interesting way in which crypto is perceived among the establishment at the WEF. Despite there being fewer direct panels on the topic during the WEF Congress, Narula observes that every other panel on finance couldn’t avoid talking about crypto. It shows, she says, that despite the fallout from all the speculation in “token casinos,” the technology is “not going away.”

Neha also shares about Project Hamilton, the experimental digital cash project that MIT is driving in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. It’s a digital dollar prototype idea that explores the parameters of what it means to produce “public money” with the rights that need to go along with that. She explains that in some respects it’s an effort to recreate cash, noting that “you don’t have to sign a terms of service or download an app” to use cash, and where the privacy of the user is preserved.  

Narula talks about how important it is that MIT convinced the Fed to adopt open-source code for the project because “this is your money and you have to be able to see what the code is doing.”

See Also:

TED talk on the Future of Money

https://dci.mit.edu/neha-narula 

http://nehanarula.org 

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This episode was produced and edited by Michele Musso with announcements by Adam B. Levine and our executive producer, Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “Shepard.”

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

The most valuable crypto stories for Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. 

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) Vice Chairman and staunch bitcoin skeptic Charlie Munger is calling for the U.S. to ban cryptocurrencies, according to his new opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal. Plus, Facebook parent Meta's Metaverse division lost $13.7 billion in 2022, according to its latest earnings report. And, PleasrDAO is set to auction off the infamous doge meme couch.

See also: ​​

Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger Calls for Crypto Ban in the US

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger Still Hate Crypto

Facebook Parent Meta’s Metaverse Division Lost $13.7B in 2022

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This episode has been edited by Michele Musso. Our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “Neon Beach.”

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

The FOMC raised rates by the expected 25 basis points at this week’s meeting. 

On today’s episode, NLW breaks down the Federal Open Markets Committee rate hike decision, as well as Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s comments on inflation, the labor force, the debt ceiling and loosening financial conditions. While many commentators have argued that Powell failed to be as hawkish as he wanted, NLW argues that Powell’s ultimate objective may have actually changed over the last few months. 

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Join the most important conversation in crypto and Web3 at Consensus 2023, happening April 26-28 in Austin, Texas. Come and immerse yourself in all that Web3, crypto, blockchain and the metaverse have to offer. Use code BREAKDOWN to get 15% off your pass. Visit consensus.coindesk.com.

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“The Breakdown” is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell 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. Image credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.

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

Where does AI fit into journalism? Plus, a conversation with “Crypto Crooks” host David Z. Morris.

On “Carpe Consensus,” hosts Danny Nelson and Cam Thompson take a well-rounded look at this week in crypto news with guest David Z. Morris.

• [2:01] Inside the Desk: Danny dives into potential use cases for AI in the newsroom and Cam follows a workout routine written by ChatGPT.
• [8:55] David Z. Morris joins to discuss the creation of “Crypto Crooks,” CoinDesk’s first true-crime podcast and teases details about the upcoming season.
• [22:44] Danny’s Dungeon: Developers behind the Solana-based crypto exchange are pushing ahead, despite scrutiny from the SEC.
• [30:43] Cam’s Corner: Car puns abound as Porsche’s NFT collection mints with mixed success.

What’s “Carpe Consensus?” CoinDesk’s newest podcast is for crypto fans and fiends, DeFi degens and non-fungible enthusiasts, while welcoming the crypto curious. Each week, hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Cam Thompson thread together the biggest themes in crypto. Consensus speakers and guest experts join the hosts to pull back the curtain on all things crypto and Web3, providing listeners with a balanced look at the state of the industry. Tune in weekly on Thursdays on the CoinDesk Podcast Network.

Join the most important conversation in crypto and Web3 at Consensus 2023, happening April 26–28 in Austin, Texas. Come and immerse yourself in all that Web3, crypto, blockchain and the metaverse have to offer. Use code CARPE to get 15% off your pass. Visit https://consensus.coindesk.com.

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“Carpe Consensus” is executive produced by Jared Schwartz and produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl.

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

The most valuable crypto stories for Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. 

Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX had around $1.4 billion in cash as of the end of 2022, according to an interim financial update filed on Wednesday. This comes as a New York judge has prohibited former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried from attempting to contact any former or current employees of Alameda Research or FTX. Plus, ARK Invest is out with its 2023 "Big Ideas" research report and predicts bitcoin (BTC) will still close the decade at $1 million because its fundamentals are sound, despite a turbulent 2022.

See also: ​​

Why Venture Capitalists Won’t Be Held Accountable for Investing in FTX

Bankrupt Crypto Exchange FTX Had Around $1.4B Cash at End of 2022

Judge Bans Sam Bankman-Fried From Contacting FTX Employees and Using Signal

ARK Invest Maintains Prediction Bitcoin Price Will Hit $1M by 2030

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This episode has been edited by Michele Musso. Our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “Neon Beach.”

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