Bloomberg Crypto

It seems that the Securities and Exchange Commission has finally found a way to keep up with the Kardashians. The US Markets regulator announced last week that Kim Kardashian had agreed to pay $1.26 million to settle allegations that she broke US rules by touting a crypto token. The SEC alleges Kardashian did not disclose that she was paid $250,000 to post on her Instagram account about EMAX token, a crypto asset offered by Ethereum Max.

Kardashian settled without admitting or denying the SEC allegations. And she agreed to refrain from touting any additional digital assets for three years.

But what are the broader implications of the SEC’s action? And is it a warning shot that stricter adherence to the rules is on the way?

Bloomberg crypto and regulation reporter Allyson Versprille and Bloomberg financial lifestyles and money culture reporter Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou join this episode.

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What do Michael Saylor, Jesse Powell, Michael Moro, Sam Trabucco, Brett Harrison and Alex Mashinsky have in common? If you said they’re dudes who used to be crypto CEOs and suddenly weren’t anymore, you’d also be correct. 

This crypto winter has seen a string of high-profile exits from the C-suite.

But what’s driving all this activity? Is it Bitcoin prices falling more than 50%? Is it the bankruptcy filings? Is it the SEC breathing down your neck? Is it the wanting to spend more time with your yacht in the Bahamas? Perhaps even all of these at once.  

For more on this succession-level crypto drama, this episode features Bloomberg reporter Yueqi Yang and Deepali Vyas, Executive Search Recruiter at global consulting firm Korn Ferry.

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Back in March, President Biden issued an Executive Order that directed every relevant federal agency to work on guidance related to crypto - and then to report back.

We’re now into that “time to report back” window, and the White House, along with other agencies, have started providing updates on their findings. On the White House end, the policy recommendations included better suggestions focused on better consumer and investor protections.

But what about agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, both of whom have a stake in crypto regulation?

Bloomberg reporter Allyson Versprille joins this episode to break down the latest developments. 

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The cooling crypto atmosphere and the subsequent downturn in trading has had a domino effect for people who work in the sector. In the wake of plummeting prices, a flurry of crypto firms reduced their numbers with significant layoffs. Coinbase announced an  18% reduction of it’s workforce, BlockFi cut their headcount by 20% and Crypto.com by 5%. So, what happens to these former crypto employees? 

An increasing number of them are getting snatched up by traditional financial firms or Trad-Fi. The skills that these talented engineers and developers have accumulated is now very much in demand with Trad-Fi firms, who want to explore the crypto space and experiment with blockchain technologies. 

Bloomberg reporters Will Shaw and Aisha Gani join this episode to explore why Trad-Fi institutions are swooping in for laid off De-Fi experts. 

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Our colleagues on QuickTake, Tim Stenovec and Katie Greifeld, host a weekly video series called QuickTake IRL. Just for listeners of the Bloomberg Crypto podcast, we’ve got an audio version of their latest episode.

For the full video experience, find them on the web at https://www.bloomberg.com/qt/series/crypto-irl, on Bloomberg TV or over on YouTube.

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It’s been (another) busy week in digital assets. What’s the latest in the markets? Are there any crypto CEOs left? Regulation: will it ever happen? Unclear!

Bloomberg crypto editor Beth Williams and Bloomberg reporter Allyson Versprille join this episode to help break down this weeks’ news.

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How do you go from video game studio to major crypto VC in the space of a few short years? That’s exactly the path that Animoca Brands has been on. Since its founding in 2014, Animoca has expanded well beyond making games to come to own and operate a portfolio of investments and acquisitions that includes more than 300 different finance, gaming, and social media companies.

Yat Siu, Animoca’s co-founder, has become one of the most influential people in technology. 

Bloomberg reporter Zheping Huang  joins this episode to chart the path of Animoca and its founder from indie game studio to crypto conglomerate.

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Do you remember Adam Neumann? The WeWork co-founder and former CEO who stepped down in 2019 in a cloud of accusations about eccentric behavior, sky-high expenses, and general extravagance? The one with an Apple TV miniseries about his rise and fall starring Jared Leto?

Well, Adam Neumann is back.  Now, with bonus crypto, and an exceptionally large $350 million dollar check from the venture capitalists over at Andresseen Horowitz. 

To discuss these projects (and why the word ‘Flow’ is the new ‘We’)  Bloomberg reporter Hannah Miller joins this episode.

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For many of us, the pandemic has meant getting to know what it’s like to work remotely and in most cases from home  But in crypto, remote working had already been the norm for some time, with many workers roaming the world all year round and logging in from dreamy locations like the sandy beaches of the Caribbean or the palm-lined promenades of Miami Beach

When crypto prices were high, these roving crypto workers enjoyed the benefits of being a digital nomad, moving from country to country in an attempt to leave behind the stress, expense and bustle that’s often associated with large financial centers. 

But now that the crypto market isn’t quite as sunny, many of these nomads have started trickling back to the financial hubs of the world. Bloomberg reporter Tanzeel Ahktar and Panther Protocol CEO, Oliver Gale join this episode to share more about the crypto nomad lifestyle and why, for the time being, some have decided to give it up. 

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Perhaps you’ve heard of Molly White. The software engineer and crypto skeptic has been profiled in numerous publications. 

She has more than 80,000 followers on her personal Twitter, and more than 100,000 on an account called ‘web3 is going just great’. It is, as you might guess, a chronicle of all the ways that Web 3 is not going so great. Molly White joins this episode to talk through her skepticism of digital assets.

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