Author: CoinDesk

U.S. hearing on crypto indicates policymakers’ increasing intention to regulate the crypto market.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io.

An interview with a congressman followed by a congressional hearing on crypto signal policymakers are moving to the next phase of talks about regulating crypto.

• Troubling comments in Congressman Bill Foster’s interview with Axios
• Upcoming committee hearing titled ominously “America on ‘FIRE:’ Will the Crypto Frenzy Lead to Financial Independence and Early Retirement or Financial Ruin?”

Foster has historically been a champion of the crypto market: He is a co-chairman of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus and was previously supportive of the future of crypto. However, in his recent Axios interview, his tone flipped, as he went as far as to suggest the need for a “cryptographic backdoor” to allow the court the ability to view or even reverse transactions. Is Foster’s new viewpoint indicative of a greater shift in policymakers’ attitude toward crypto regulation?

Today’s House Committee on Financial Services hearing with a particularly colorful title is yet another signal for an upcoming regulatory push in crypto. The hearing’s agenda includes a discussion of bad actors on decentralized currency exchanges, or DEX, including a reference to Mark Cuban’s recent loss of money in a DeFi “rug pull.” With an expert witness lineup, including Jim Cramer of “Mad Money,” Alexis Goldstein of the Open Markets Institute and Peter Van Valkenburgh of CoinCenter, there is quite a mixed set of viewpoints on the current state and future of crypto.

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A rapidly changing landscape is leading to insecurity on a broad scale.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io.

Highlights from today’s Breakdown:

• The latest legal challenges around the Bitcoin white paper 
• A barrage of institutional bitcoin news 
• What the S&P 500 hitting all-time highs has to do with the crypto markets

For those worried there was a loss of momentum around institutions entering bitcoin, fear not. Cathie Wood’s ARK is joining forces with 21 Shares to become the latest to apply to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch a bitcoin ETF. Morgan Stanley has bought more than 28,000 shares of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust. 

More broadly, markets have been buoyant over the last few weeks, closing at new all-time highs on Monday. This is finding its way into crypto markets, which reflects how increasingly intermingled traditional investors are becoming with crypto investors. 

Could a new COVID-19 variant negatively impact the economy’s overall momentum? If it did, what would the likely impact on bitcoin and other cryptos be?

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What recent intrigue around Binance tells us about the state of global regulation.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.

Today on the Brief

• Indian investment in crypto soars
• The first Mexican bank to accept bitcoin? 
• Tether FUD from the FED? 

In our main discussion, NLW looks at recent regulatory action from the U.K., Canada and Japan. He argues that we’re entering a new phase of global regulation, where we’re likely to see a particular focus on leverage and derivatives.

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Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 6.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 100+ market pairs with the tap of a button. Get started at nexo.io.

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A recent essay dives into China’s motivations for its recent bitcoin mining ban.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.

On this week’s “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads Nic Carter’s latest essay for CoinDesk “Go West, Bitcoin! Unpacking the Great Hashrate Migration.”

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Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 6.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 100+ market pairs with the tap of a button. Get started at nexo.io.

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Circle Yield, now in early access, enables qualified businesses to generate returns up to 6% with 1 to 12 month terms by deploying capital into USDC on a Circle Account. Sign up for the fully secured, institutional yield product at circle.com/nlw.

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18 million more Americans will soon be able to buy, sell and hold bitcoin directly from their bank accounts. 

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.

On this edition of “The Breakdown’s Weekly Recap,” NLW looks at:

• Two more massive fundraises 
• A set of positive regulatory news 
• A new partnership that will bring bitcoin directly to bank accounts and credit unions around America 

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Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 6.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 100+ market pairs with the tap of a button. Get started at nexo.io.

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Circle Yield, now in early access, enables qualified businesses to generate returns up to 6% with 1 to 12 month terms by deploying capital into USDC on a Circle Account. Sign up for the fully secured, institutional yield product at circle.com/nlw.

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President Nayib Bukele launches what some are calling the most important airdrop in history. 

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.

Last night was one for the history books. As Elon Musk was making weird, stupid jokes about bitcoiners, the president of El Salvador was live on YouTube discussing what amounts to a $117 million BTC airdrop to citizens as a part of the recently passed law making bitcoin legal tender in the Central American nation.

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Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 6.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 100+ market pairs with the tap of a button. Get started at nexo.io.

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Circle Yield, now in early access, enables qualified businesses to generate returns up to 6% with 1 to 12 month terms by deploying capital into USDC on a Circle Account. Sign up for the fully secured, institutional yield product at circle.com/nlw.

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An unignorable icon’s passing marks the end of an important early age in crypto.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.

The passing of an icon in crypto necessitates reflection. John McAfee was at times reviled, and at the same time, deadly serious and a prophet, sometimes a clown. The many facets to his personality mirror the roller-coaster history of crypto, a Wild West of finance in its earliest days.

Join NLW in this episode of “The Breakdown” for a journey first through the winding history of McAfee, followed by a narrative tour of the many flashpoints in the “gonzo” era of early crypto.

This episode contains explicit language. Sensitive listeners, please be advised.

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Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 6.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 100+ market pairs with the tap of a button. Get started at nexo.io.

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Circle Yield, now in early access, enables qualified businesses to generate returns up to 6% with 1 to 12 month terms by deploying capital into USDC on a Circle Account. Sign up for the fully secured, institutional yield product at circle.com/nlw.

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$100 million for NFTs from Fox. $230 million for a new DeFi funding DAO. $380 million for Ledger. If this is a bear market, it’s going to be well funded. 

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.

Today on "The Breakdown," NLW looks at the contrast between growing bear market sentiment versus a sustained set of high-profile eight and nine figure financing rounds across multiple dimensions of the crypto market. Specifically, he looks at funding deals in NFTs, DeFi and institutional bitcoin, arguing that even if we do head into a bear market, that capital is likely to mean a return to bull more quickly. 

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Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 6.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 100+ market pairs with the tap of a button. Get started at nexo.io.

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Circle Yield, now in early access, enables qualified businesses to generate returns up to 6% with 1 to 12 month terms by deploying capital into USDC on a Circle Account. Sign up for the fully secured, institutional yield product at circle.com/nlw.

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One of the top minds in macro explores the key debates shaping the economic landscape.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io and Circle.

Lyn Alden, investment researcher and strategist with a keen eye on both crypto and traditional markets, joins NLW on today’s “The Breakdown.” Listen for a conversation about the state of the market and projections for the future including:

• Inflation: base effects and transitory in nature or here to stay?
• Foreign debt markets tapering off
• The Lightning Network and predictions for the success of El Salvador

Inflation at a high number, 5%, leaves investors and market observers jumpy. On top of that, many have a hard time believing the U.S. Federal Reserve’s narrative for inflation as outlined in the recent FOMC meeting. How is this inflation different from previous spikes?

The foreign sector has historically been a large buyer of Treasurys in structural trade deficits. In 2013, China stepped away from this practice and started investing in its own infrastructure and in other regions across the world. Even if other countries continue to invest in U.S. assets, it is increasingly in hard assets like stocks or real estate. Will the dollar weaken as the Fed is forced to be the primary buyer of U.S. Treasurys?

El Salvador’s commitment to bitcoin as legal tender is one thing, but what will the reality of this new currency look like? Bitcoin’s Lightning Network provides easy access and transaction speeds, so long as enough of the general population has access to smartphones.

Lastly, with the public’s attention captured by the current inflationary moment, what market features are getting underreported? Tune in to hear Alden’s perspective on what will have an unexpected impact in the upcoming cycles, including the potential for a significant energy shock in the years to come. 

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Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 6.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 100+ market pairs with the tap of a button. Get started at nexo.io.

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Circle Yield, now in early access, enables qualified businesses to generate returns up to 6% with 1 to 12 month terms by deploying capital into USDC on a Circle Account. Sign up for the fully secured, institutional yield product at circle.com/nlw.

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People’s Bank of China pushes banks to cut ties to virtual currency traders in latest crypto crackdown.

This episode is sponsored by Nexo.io.

On this episode of “The Breakdown,” NLW takes a brief look at the most recent crypto news before taking a deeper dive into the latest step in the de-Chinafication of bitcoin.

• MicroStrategy going “all-in” on bitcoin
• Michael Burry’s warnings on Twitter of the “Mother of All Crashes”
• The “dot plot shock” and post-FOMC meeting confusion
• Accelerating China mining ban

While in this in-between state, post-COVID and pre-monetary policy tapering, institutional investors find themselves on diverging and opposing paths. Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy has gone “all in,” while at the same time investor Michael Burry took to Twitter with warnings of an upcoming “Mother of All Crashes.” Confusion following the Federal Reserve’s FOMC meeting only adds to the contention between investors with contrasting visions for the near future of crypto.

The Central Bank of China has convened a meeting with the major banks to reiterate and tighten previous policies on the prevention of virtual currency transactions in bank accounts. Is this restriction on crypto transactions yet another indication that China is taking a more aggressive stance against bitcoin?

More to this point, Sichuan became the most recent province to crack down on crypto mining. Sichuan, primarily mining with hydropower, seems to diminish previous ban reasoning citing environmental concerns. How far will China go to remove itself from bitcoin, and what does that mean for its citizens and the crypto space as a whole?

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Nexo.io lets you borrow against your crypto at 6.9% APR, earn up to 12% on your idle assets, and exchange instantly between 100+ market pairs with the tap of a button. Get started at nexo.io.

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