Bloomberg Crypto

This episode explores a sector of the crypto universe that’s actually booming. 

Companies that specialize in finding vulnerabilities in crypto’s software infrastructure are flourishing. Why? Because crypto hacks and frauds are booming, with some estimates as high as $2bn in losses stemming from these attacks. 

Bloomberg reporter Olga Kharif and senior editor Anna Irrera join me now for more about these crypto sleuths.

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By now you’ve probably heard that El Salvador became the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in September of 2021.  Did you know the Central African Republic made a similar move in April, becoming the first country in Africa to welcome a cryptocurrency to its sovereign ranks?

Cue almost immediate expressions of skepticism and concern from organizations like the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, to say nothing of internal disagreement and confusion within the country itself. 

Why would a country with very low levels of access to electricity or the internet follow the path of a digital token? Who stands to benefit, and who stands to lose?

Joining this episode is Bloomberg reporter Katarina Höije.

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You might not have heard of Twitch, but it’s one of the most popular places on the internet. Millions of people every day use the app to watch their favorite live streams do everything from play videogames to solving math problems in real-time.

Videogames are still the biggest category of live streams people tune into on Twitch, and the biggest games - like Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite - still dominate time spent on the platform. Recently however, there’s been a new addition to the top ten: gambling.  Gambling, is the seventh most popular content category on Twitch. And it’s not just any gambling. It’s Crypto Gambling. Many streamers are paid handsomely by casinos to take part in this activity. But what about those who actually pay to play? And where is all this coming from?

Bloomberg video game reporter Cecilia D’Anstasio joins this episode to talk about the toll of this growing trend. 

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Ethereum's 'Merge' is expected to happen this week. What does that mean for you? In this episode Bloomberg Senior Editor Dave Liedtka talks with reporters David Pan and Olga Kharif during a recent Twitter Spaces event about the possible outcomes of the highly-anticipated software upgrade.

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It’s been one year since El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. In September 2021, the Central American nation forged its own path as the first in the world to make the crypto currency an official part of their economy. According to tweets and statements from President Nayib Bukele the government has bought more than 2,000 BTC so far. 

So what’s the problem? Well, many of those purchases were at or near market highs. Price declines mean that, at least on paper, El Salvador has lost more than half the value of those purchases so far. And surveys of both consumers and businesses show most people in the country just aren’t using Bitcoin. Nonetheless, President Nayib Bukele and government officials are adamant that the nation’s strategy has expanded financial services to a larger segment of the population and encouraged tourism. 

What’s the real story of Bitcoin in El Salvador?  Bloomberg reporter Mike McDonald joins this episode for more.

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Put a whole bunch of crypto transactions into a blender and lock them up in black box - what do you get? Something metaphorically similar to the experience of using a decentralized app called Tornado Cash. The currency mixer app allows users to move cryptocurrency around anonymously. But federal regulators say cyber criminals used the service for money laundering purposes. Tornado Cash was recently sanctioned by the U.S.Department of Treasury.

Privacy is a key objective of many crypto proponents. And it’s one of the features that makes the asset class attractive to some investors. If this principle can’t be guaranteed, some say crypto’s utility becomes questionable.

Bloomberg reporter Emily Nicolle joins this episode to discuss whether or not a decentralized service can truly be regulated, the issue of crypto privacy and the implications of sanctions on Tornado Cash and De–Fi in general. 

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A hundred and fifty years ago, the Osage Nation bought a stretch of prairie the size of Delaware, in what's now Oklahoma. The Osage owned the land and everything beneath it. Today, much of present-day Osage County has left Osage hands. In some cases, appropriation was swift and brutal: Dozens of Osages were murdered for their share of lucrative mineral rights to this oil-rich land, a period often referred to as the Reign of Terror. But other transfers of wealth played out more subtly—dollar by dollar and acre by acre, over decades—helped along by policies created by the US government. Listen to In Trust on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-in-trust-101274258/

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As crypto prices hover well below their all-time highs, the companies that mine Bitcoin are starting to show signs of financial strain. Second quarter earnings reports show that some of the largest U.S. publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies have over $1 billion in losses. Companies such as Core Scientific Inc. and Marathon Digital Holdings Inc. have each reported net losses of more than $100 million. Bloomberg reporter David Pan and Galaxy Digital’s Head of Crypto Mining, Amanda Fabiano join this episode to discuss what’s driving this distress.

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When we talk about the “crypto winter," we don’t only mean the months-long decline in prices of different coins and tokens. We’re also referring to organizational failures, crypto CEOs losing their jobs, and of course: bankruptcy filings. In July, two major crypto players, Voyager and Celsius, both declared bankruptcy. These filings have opened something of a pandora’s box surrounding the interpretation of US bankruptcy law as it relates to crypto. Asset holders, lenders, and the bankruptcy courts are navigating uncharted legal waters. Whatever the courts decide now could set landmark precedents for billions of dollars worth of crypto. To tackle these important and complicated legal questions, Georgetown Law Professor Adam Levitin joins this episode.

Follow us on Twitter @crypto, and subscribe to the Bloomberg Crypto Newsletter at https://bloom.bg/cryptonewsletter 

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Singapore was an early proponent of crypto regulation, attempting to establish itself as a hub for global digital asset companies long before similar pronouncements by countries like the UK. 

For a time, it worked. And then 2022 happened, a year of high-profile crypto company failures and market meltdowns. Several of the biggest casualties of the chill of this crypto winter operated out of Singapore. It was a base for Three Arrows Capital, the disgraced crypto hedge fund, and others as well. These high-profile collapses have shone a harsh light on Singapore’s regulatory framework. What’s next for crypto in Singapore?  Bloomberg reporters Joanna Ossinger and Suvashree Ghosh join this episode.

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