Bloomberg Crypto

The gaming industry is bigger in revenue terms worldwide than the film and television industries combined. But it also continues to deal with hard and necessary conversations over who benefits from those profits, over work and labor conditions, and (as always) about intellectual property. Adding blockchain and NFT's might just complicate things a bit more. Bloomberg reporter Cecilia D'Anastasio joins this episode to discuss why and how crypto is showing up in video games. 

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With every additional bankruptcy filing or accusation of insider trading in crypto, regulators seem to turn up the heat ever so slightly when it comes to their focus on the digital asset industry. But who is planning on doing the regulating? What would that even look like? And what does it mean that regulators themselves don’t seem to entirely agree? Joining this episode to bring us up to speed on what’s happening with US crypto regulation are Bloomberg reporters Allyson Versprille  and Alex Nguyễn. 

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If you’re an avid online shopper, you’ve probably realized that digital "buy now, pay later" options from companies like Klarna and Afterpay have skyrocketed over the last several years. Now, BNPL has come for crypto through a decentralized finance lender called Teller. Is this even…a good idea? Bloomberg reporter Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou joins this episode on how “buy now, pay later” fits into the crypto economy.

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It’s safe to say that Coinbase has had a rough couple of months. The threat of federal regulation of some of its tokens has been looming for more than a year, but really started heating up over the last few months. And in late July things got even worse. A former Coinbase product manager, his brother, and a friend were arrested by federal prosecutors on an insider trading allegation, and the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged Coinbase has been running an illegal securities exchange. To help us understand what’s at stake for Coinbase, and for all digital currency users, Bloomberg Businessweek Columnist & tech reporter Max Chafkin joins this episode.

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One of the most interesting conversations in crypto right now is all about definitions, and especially the definition of a so-called security. Who better to tackle this than Bloomberg Opinion columnist Matt Levine, a former practicing lawyer and investment banker who has written extensively about securities, securities law, insider trading, all things that are very much topical in crypto right now. You'll also hear highlights from Matt's interview with Sam Bankman-Fried at the recent Bloomberg crypto summit in New York.

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Picture this: you’re the FBI, trying to track down the digital keys that will give you access to illicit or stolen crypto. In 2021 alone, cops in the U.S. and U.K, seized billions of dollars in Crypto-assets from various different criminal busts. With so much money on the line, enforcement agencies around the world have had to learn quickly how to spot these digital assets and seize them from accused criminals. In this episode, Bloomberg reporters Ellen MiIligan and David Voreacos join to discuss how the seizures of digital assets are transforming policing policies and protocols around the world.

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Those who are new to the world of crypto might find themselves intimidated by (or attracted to!) the volatility, complexity, and  frantic pace of an asset class that quite literally never sleeps. The job of Bloomberg editors is to assess all these perspectives and determine how (and whether) they become stories. This episode of “Friday in the Editor’s Room” features a conversation with Crypto Senior Editors Anna Irrera, based in London,  and Philip Lagerkranser, based in Zurich. 

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Earlier this year,  pop music duo The Chainsmokers released 5,000 nonfungible tokens for free. These NFTs gave fans a 1% cut of the streaming royalties from their latest album, as well as priority access to concert tickets and free merchandise. The Chainsmokers aren’t the first musicians to experiment with crypto, NFTs or blockchain, and they’re unlikely to be the last. 

Royal, a startup that's looking to give fans more access and more investment opportunities related to the bands they love, partnered with The Chainsmokers to give their fans a stake in their success. Royal CEO Justin Blau joins this episode, along with Bloomberg reporter Hannah Miller.

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There’s a fascinating tension in crypto: there's the prevailing belief in the necessity, indeed the superiority, of decentralization. Then, there’s reality: when things hit the fan, folks respond by seeking a bailout, and hold fraudsters accountable. In an industry prone to spectacular scams and expensive hacks, this tension is ever-present. Bloomberg Reporter Emily Nicolle joins this episode for more on this.

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There’s an old joke in finance: when companies fight, lawyers win. And right now in crypto, lots of companies are fighting - some for their corporate lives. Kirkland + Ellis, one of the biggest law firms in the world by revenue, has emerged as a major player in crypto. Earlier this month, the firm signed on to work on the bankruptcy filings for both Celsius Network and Voyager Digital. There's relatively little case law that addresses how crypto assets - and their holders - should be treated in bankruptcy. That means that  any legal precedents set could shape the future of crypto lending and determine how distressed crypto companies pay back creditors. 

Joining this episode is Bloomberg reporter Jeremy Hill on how Kirkland & Ellis are tackling crypto bankruptcies. 

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