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Blockworks

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/

The Breakdown

Privacy is back at the center of crypto’s narrative. This episode examines the limits of on-chain privacy, the role of KYC and the app layer, and how crypto onboarding has changed — before closing with Andrew M. Bailey of the Bitcoin Policy Institute. Enjoy!

As always, remember this podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely their opinions, not financial advice.
–
Follow Blockworks Research: https://x.com/blockworksres
Follow Andrew: https://x.com/resistancemoney
Follow David: https://x.com/dcanellis

—

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:20 The Limits of On-Chain Privacy
3:00 Reality of the App Layer
7:57 DAS Promo
8:44 From Self-Mining to KYC Funnels
11:14 The Future of Privacy in Crypto
14:49 Interview with Andrew M. Bailey

—
Disclaimer: Nothing said on The Breakdown is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Why Privacy Coins Aren’t Enough | The Breakdown

Today’s episode is the last episode of The Breakdown with me, NLW. To mark the end of this chapter, this show looks back at the biggest story from each year of the podcast, from the strange early days of 2018 through cycles of collapse, rebuilding, mainstreaming, and normalization, tracing how Bitcoin and crypto evolved alongside the show itself. It’s a reflection on the moments that mattered, the themes that endured, and why the story of power, money, and incentives is far from over, even as my time behind this mic comes to a close.

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NLW's Last Breakdown

Tether has officially launched its US-compliant stablecoin, USAT, a Genius Act–aligned, Treasury-backed token designed to operate squarely inside the American regulatory perimeter, giving the company a powerful hedge as global rules harden and tokenization accelerates. But the bigger story may be what comes next: Tether’s rapid accumulation of gold, now rivaling central banks and openly framed by CEO Paolo Ardoino as preparation for a fractured monetary order where gold-backed alternatives to the dollar emerge. The episode explores why USAT is less about replacing USDT than expanding optionality, how Tether is positioning itself as a quasi-sovereign financial actor straddling competing systems, and why dire warnings about stablecoin yield draining bank deposits look far less destabilizing when set against the scale of the global financial system.

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Tether Goes Fully American and Doubles Down on Gold

As Washington digs out from a winter storm, there are signs that the long-stalled crypto market structure bill may be inching forward again, with behind-the-scenes negotiations aiming to revive a bipartisan path in the Senate Agriculture Committee. The episode unpacks the competing narratives around whether talks are truly back on track, the political tradeoffs shaping the next markup, and why stablecoin yield remains the most stubborn blocker. It also looks at how pressure is building from outside Washington, from Coinbase and Bloomberg’s Neil Ferguson pushing back on banking-lobby arguments, to new yield-bearing products from Bitwise and BlackRock that could make parts of the debate obsolete, before closing with a look at how Bitcoin miners’ grid-balancing role showed up during the latest round of extreme winter weather.

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Market Structure Thaw as Stablecoin Fight Intensifies

A crypto-native deep dive into the systems, incentives, and power structures shaping the industry. Hosted by David C.

The Breakdown with David Canellis | Teaser

Bitcoin stumbles through another Sunday-night slide as gold rips to historic highs, pulling attention and liquidity away from crypto and fueling talk of a speculative metals mania layered on top of genuine macro fear. This episode digs into why gold’s breakout is happening now, how ETF outflows, loss realization, and shaken conviction are weighing on Bitcoin, and why the growing contrast between physical metal liquidity and Bitcoin’s always-on exit may ultimately reinforce the long-term thesis even as short-term sentiment stays ugly.

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 Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownBW

Gold Mania and a Bitcoin Stall

Brian Armstrong takes Bitcoin to the World Economic Forum as Davos wrestles with the visible unraveling of the old global order, putting the Bitcoin standard, stablecoin yield, and crypto market structure squarely in front of central bankers and political leaders. This episode walks through Armstrong’s exchanges with European officials, Trump and the White House weighing in on legislation, growing pressure to strike a deal on market structure, and why the real fight now centers on stablecoin yield and DeFi protections as the industry pushes to get a bill across the finish line.

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 Breakdown: https://twitter.com/BreakdownBW

Bitcoin Meets Davos

Markets are selling off across the board as stocks, bonds, and the dollar all fall together, signaling something bigger than a routine drawdown. This episode unpacks why the latest crash feels like a true regime shift, tying together the Japanese bond market shock, escalating trade and geopolitical conflict, and explicit declarations from global leaders that the post–Cold War rules-based order is breaking down. From Greenland to Davos to Tokyo, the common thread is uncertainty about what comes next—and what it means for risk assets, rates, and the global financial system.

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The Macro Market Crash and the End of the Old Order

Today’s episode digs into the deepening market structure fallout in Washington, tracing how Coinbase’s withdrawal from the bill triggered White House anger, exposed fractures across the crypto lobby, and reignited bipartisan resistance in the Senate, particularly around DeFi liability and stablecoin yield. The episode explores why stablecoin yield has become the central fault line between banks and crypto, with banks warning of deposit flight while critics argue the real issue is banks protecting profits at the expense of consumers, leaving the bill stuck between irreconcilable interests. The result is a pessimistic moment for crypto legislation, where momentum still exists but the path forward increasingly looks like it will require one side to cave—or the effort to collapse entirely.

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The Stablecoin Yield Standoff

Bitcoin finally delivered a jolt of life, surging to $96,000 in its biggest move of 2026 and breaking a long stretch of boredom for crypto markets. The episode unpacks why this rally may matter less for its specific catalysts and more for what it signals about liquidity, positioning, and market psychology, with reactions ranging from technical optimism to deep skepticism. It also digs into new data from Wintermute and Bitwise that suggest crypto’s market structure is maturing, liquidity is concentrating in the majors, and financial advisors are more committed than ever, even after volatility. Whether this move has legs or fizzles out, it marks a notable shift in tone for Bitcoin and the broader crypto market.

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Bitcoin Wakes Up

On this edition of “Long Reads Sunday,” NLW reads:
 
 Why I Am Optimistic for Crypto - Stefan George 
 13 Narratives to Watch in 2013 - the DeFi Edge
 Aaron Swartz - Patrick Campbell 
 
 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 -
 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.
 -
 “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: Javier Zayas Photography/Getty Images, modified by CoinDesk. Join the discussion at discord.gg/VrKRrfKCz8.

The Legacy of Aaron Swartz 10 Years Later

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