Author: CoinDesk

The deal is Microsoft’s largest acquisition in its 46-year history.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Abra and FTX US.  

Microsoft today announced it is acquiring game publisher Activision Blizzard in a nearly $69 billion all-cash deal. The acquisition is being widely seen as a big bet to keep Microsoft competitive in the burgeoning metaverse space. On today’s episode, NLW gives the background and explores the emerging battle between the corporate and the open metaverses. 

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Abra is proud to sponsor The Breakdown. Join 1M+ users and Conquer Crypto with Abra, a simple and secure app where you can trade 110+ cryptocurrencies, get 0% interest loans using crypto as collateral, and earn interest with up to 14% APY on stablecoins and 8.15% APY on Bitcoin. Visit Abra.com to get started.

-

FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.

-

“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 “Time” by OBOY. Image credit: Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images Entertainment, 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.

A bitcoin miner with an unlicensed power plant leads to a discussion on BTC, security and energy.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io.

Bitcoin's energy usage has long been controversial but this time it's not what you'd expect, a story about a rogue power plant kicks off a wide ranging discussion between the hosts, touching on key issues like game theory, network security and more.

Links from this episode:

• https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvz93q/bitcoin-miner-facing-dollar56m-fine-for-starting-rogue-power-plant
• https://tftc.io/martys-bent/issue-1138/
• https://bitcoin.sipa.be/
• https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/01/10/billionaire-investor-bill-miller-now-has-50-of-his-personal-wealth-in-bitcoin/

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Credits:

Today’s show featured Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Jonathan Mohan, Stephanie Murphy and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Adam B. Levine and music by Gurtybeats.com. Our episode art was created by Adam B. Levine with Pixelmind.ai

Any questions or comments? Send us an email at adam@speakingofbitcoin.show

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

A reading of Max Baucus’ recent essay.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Abra and FTX US. 

This week’s “Long Reads Sunday” reading is Max Baucus’ “The Urgent Need for Regulatory Clarity on Stablecoins.” 

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Abra is proud to sponsor The Breakdown. Join 1M+ users and Conquer Crypto with Abra, a simple and secure app where you can trade 110+ cryptocurrencies, get 0% interest loans using crypto as collateral, and earn interest with up to 14% APY on stablecoins and 8.15% APY on Bitcoin. Visit Abra.com to get started.

-

FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.

-

“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 “Time” by OBOY. Image credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Image News, 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.

Startups raised $1.5 billion and funds raised $2 billion in just the last week. 

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Abra and FTX US. 

In today’s “Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at a slew of funding rounds announced this week, including:

• Near Protocol, $150 million
• ZeroHash, $105 million
• Checkout.com, $1 billion
• SEBA, $119 million
• DeFi Alliance (now Alliance DAO), $50 million
• FTX Ventures, $2 billion

 

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Abra is proud to sponsor The Breakdown. Join 1M+ users and Conquer Crypto with Abra, a simple and secure app where you can trade 110+ cryptocurrencies, get 0% interest loans using crypto as collateral, and earn interest with up to 14% APY on stablecoins and 8.15% APY on Bitcoin. Visit Abra.com to get started.

-

FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.

-

“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 “Time” by OBOY. Image credit: Overearth/iStock/Getty Images Plus, 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.

And putting 1% of their treasury into crypto.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Abra and FTX US.

This was, NLW argues, a very good week for crypto. He covers:

• The mayor of Rio announcing big bitcoin/crypto support this week 
• Strike launching in Argentina
• Northwest Arkansas offering tech workers $10,000 in BTC and a bike to move to the region
• A congressman introducing legislation to ban the Fed from issuing a CBDC 
• Jack Dorsey’s Block building bitcoin mining hardware 

 

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Abra is proud to sponsor The Breakdown. Join 1M+ users and Conquer Crypto with Abra, a simple and secure app where you can trade 110+ cryptocurrencies, get 0% interest loans using crypto as collateral, and earn interest with up to 14% APY on stablecoins and 8.15% APY on Bitcoin. Visit Abra.com to get started.

-

FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.

-

“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 “Time” by OBOY. Image credit: Christian Adams/The Image Bank/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.

A new approach to helping Bitcoin developers fight frivolous lawsuits.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Abra and FTX US.

On today’s episode, NLW covers:

• The new Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund from Jack Dorsey and others
• Crypto nuggets from 250 pages of former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s emails
• The latest out of the Agriculture and Energy committees in Congress as it relates to crypto regulation
• Crypto hedge funds massively outperform TradFi 

 

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Abra is proud to sponsor The Breakdown. Join 1M+ users and Conquer Crypto with Abra, a simple and secure app where you can trade 110+ cryptocurrencies, get 0% interest loans using crypto as collateral, and earn interest with up to 14% APY on stablecoins and 8.15% APY on Bitcoin. Visit Abra.com to get started.

-

FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.

-

“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 “Time” by OBOY. Image credit: Paper Boat Creative/Stone/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.

It all comes down to market expectations. 

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Abra and FTX US.

Markets have been nervous since last week’s FOMC meeting minutes revealed the Fed was considering early “balance sheet normalization” or quantitative tightening. At yesterday’s confirmation hearings, Fed Chair Jerome Powell tried to soften the Fed’s stance on QT, saying nothing had been decided. Today, December inflation numbers came in at a 39-year high of 7%. Find out why markets are rebounding in the wake of the news. 

 

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Abra is proud to sponsor The Breakdown. Join 1M+ users and Conquer Crypto with Abra, a simple and secure app where you can trade 110+ cryptocurrencies, get 0% interest loans using crypto as collateral, and earn interest with up to 14% APY on stablecoins and 8.15% APY on Bitcoin. Visit Abra.com to get started.

-

FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.

-

“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 “Time” by OBOY. Image credit: Bryan Allen/The Image Bank/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.

“All my life, I’ve gotten to where I’ve gotten to by doing things that other people wouldn’t do … putting myself into situations that could make or break me.”

Superstar Matt James is used to putting his head, heart and resources on the line, whether it’s on romantic reality show “The Bachelor” or investing in crypto. A self-described risk-taker, James wasn’t afraid to jump into the deep waters of crypto and start investing in bitcoin. Since his first investment, he’s become an all-out Bitcoiner, as he sports the emblematic laser eyes and the all-important #Bitcoin callout in his bio.

Matt James helps kick off the first installment of “New Money” with Spencer Dinwiddie and Solo Ceesay, CoinDesk’s new series exploring the intersection of blockchain and social media in the modern age. In this episode, James reveals his journey in crypto and speculates on where blockchain technology could go next.

Watch the full episode here.

“New Money With Spencer and Solo” is produced by CoinDesk. Our theme music is “Street Knowledge” by KC Carter. Art design is by Calaxy/CoinDesk.

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

Plus a billionaire reveals he holds 50% of his net worth in bitcoin.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Abra and FTX US.

On today’s episode of “The Breakdown,” NLW covers the latest news from macro and the crypto space, including:

• Value investing legend Bill Miller holds 50% of his net worth in bitcoin 
• Paradigm invests in Citadel Securities’ first outside round 
• $207 million in digital asset fund outflows last week
• Federal Reserve insider trading scandal 
• PayPal considering launching a stablecoin  

 

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Abra is proud to sponsor The Breakdown. Join 1M+ users and Conquer Crypto with Abra, a simple and secure app where you can trade 110+ cryptocurrencies, get 0% interest loans using crypto as collateral, and earn interest with up to 14% APY on stablecoins and 8.15% APY on Bitcoin. Visit Abra.com to get started.

-

FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.

-

“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 “Time” by OBOY. Image credit: Ryan Muir/Getty Images Entertainment, 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.

A Fed shift from QE to QT and a political battle over austerity and inflation.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo, Abra and FTX US.

Last week, the December FOMC meeting minutes revealed that not only was the Fed expecting at least 3 rate hikes in 2022, they were actively considering “balance sheet normalization” (read: quantitative tightening). In today’s episode, NLW looks at how the markets are internalizing this new information, and why it’s setting up to be one of the most significant influences on markets this year. 

-

Nexo is a powerful, all-in-one crypto platform where you can securely store your crypto. Invest, borrow, exchange and earn up to 17% APR on Bitcoin and 20+ other top coins. Insured for $375M. Audited in real-time by Armanino. Rated excellent on Trustpilot. Get started today at nexo.io.

-

Abra is proud to sponsor The Breakdown. Join 1M+ users and Conquer Crypto with Abra, a simple and secure app where you can trade 110+ cryptocurrencies, get 0% interest loans using crypto as collateral, and earn interest with up to 14% APY on stablecoins and 8.15% APY on Bitcoin. Visit Abra.com to get started.

-

FTX US is the safe, regulated way to buy Bitcoin, ETH, SOL and other digital assets. Trade crypto with up to 85% lower fees than top competitors and trade ETH and SOL NFTs with no gas fees and subsidized gas on withdrawals. Sign up at FTX.US today.

-

“The Breakdown '' is written, produced by and features Nathaniel Whittemore aka NLW, with editing by Rob Mitchell, Michele Musso, and 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 “Time” by OBOY. Image credit: DNY59/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.