Bloomberg Crypto

Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, the Ukrainian government and the country’s crypto community would not have been described as allies. There was skepticism, distrust and even a few police raids on unlicensed crypto exchanges. That shifted with the war: Digital asset leaders in Ukraine are now hailed, by some, as heroes because of their work with the Ukrainian government to finance the war effort. Ukraine's deputy minister for digital transformation said crypto donations have enabled the army to buy military equipment, and medicine. In this episode, Bloomberg reporter Alastair Marsh discusses his reporting on how Ukraine has been using crypto during the war to support its armies and its population. 

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The Washington Nationals baseball team didn’t have a great start to their season, and that’s not just because of their losing record. They also managed to debut a sponsorship deal with the organization behind the not-so-stable stablecoin, TerraUSD. The name of that organization, Terraform Labs, is now splashed all over billboards, uniforms, seats – everything. It might have seemed like a good play when they signed the contract, but by the time TerraUSD crashed and burned in early May, it started to look more like a strikeout. In this episode, Bloomberg senior editor Mike Regan, joins the conversation to sort through how crypto companies are changing the sports landscape.

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El Salvador’s millennial president Nayib Bukele is no tourist when it comes to Bitcoin. Last year, under his leadership, El Salvador became the first country in the world to approve Bitcoin as a form of legal tender. Since then, President Bukele has bought more than 2,000 Bitcoins using public funds. He doesn’t appear to be stressed by the market volatility, or by the drumbeat of international organizations like the IMF that have criticized his crypto decisions. He’s even created a so-called “Bitcoin beach” in the coastal town of El Zonte as a pilot project. In this episode, Bloomberg reporter Mike McDonald joins to talk more about the sustainability of El Salvador’s Bitcoin strategy.

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On this episode of Bloomberg Crypto, Bloomberg reporters Claire Ballentine and Charlie Wells join stacy-marie to talk about crypto addiction. There are rehab centers for people seeking treatment for addictions to drugs and alcohol, to gambling, and more recently, to online experiences like gaming. Now, these centers are seeing an uptake in people looking for help controlling their crypto trading. 

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There is a real drive on Capitol Hill to figure out how to define and regulate cryptocurrency and protect consumers. One such effort comes from Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis (WY). They are proposing legislation to clarify the roles of how two different government agencies would divvy up the crypto landscape. Their bill also contains a proposal for regulating crypto mining. But can it pass? And how would it work? Bloomberg reporter Allyson Versprille joins to talk it through.

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It’s been a wild week for crypto markets. Bloomberg reporters Muyao Shen and Matt Turner join the podcast to discuss what’s happening in the world of digital tokens and crypto-related stocks - and why sentiment is so negative.

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What happens to your crypto after you die? Beyond the existential question of the permanence of the blockchain, the answers here aren’t straightforward. For estate planners, what to do with digital assets like Bitcoin and NFTs present a new challenge to inheritance law.  There’s more and more money pouring into these assets, and people are starting to think about their digital legacies. But how do you pass on something that’s built on principles of anonymity and individuality, and that requires both passwords and tech savvy to access? In this episode, Bloomberg reporter Jill Shah explores these questions.

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Have you ever heard the saying, “Everything’s Bigger in Texas”? That same ethos applies to mining Bitcoin in the Lonestar state. The state of Texas is flush with bitcoin prospectors. The City of Fort Worth even started a small mining operation out of City Hall. In this episode, Bloomberg reporter Mike Smith shares his reporting about what makes this state so attractive to crypto enthusiasts. And Lee Bratcher, head of the Texas Blockchain Council explains why he sees Texas as the perfect environment for Bitcoin believers.

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Have you heard the one about the crypto investor who got hacked and lost all their Bitcoin? It’s true - cryptocurrency spam, hacks, and fraud are all on the rise. That means there’s an urgent need to think about the security risks to often-valuable digital investments. Bloomberg reporter Hannah Miller talks about the nature and scope of these hacks, and Ronghui Gu, chief executive officer of the blockchain security firm CertiK shares how to avoid them.

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In January 2020, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union. The fallout from Brexit, as we all came to know it, is still being measured across all industries. Some analysts predict it will take years to understand it’s full impact on the UK economy.  Brexit even affected the crypto market, especially as far as regulations are concerned. Bloomberg reporter Emily Nicolle sees cautious optimism among investors about the UK’s approach to crypto regulation, and Blair Halliday, the UK head of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini agrees.

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