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David Z. Morris

David Z. Morris

David Z. Morris was CoinDesk's Chief Insights Columnist. He has written about crypto since 2013 for outlets including Fortune, Slate, and Aeon. He is the author of "Bitcoin is Magic," an introduction to Bitcoin's social dynamics. He is a former academic sociologist of technology with a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Iowa. He holds Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and small amounts of other crypto assets.

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An electronic screen displays the Hang Seng Index in the Central district of Hong Kong, China Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. Growing investor angst about China's real estate crackdown rippled through markets, pummeling Hong Kong developers and adding pressure on Beijing authorities to stop financial contagion from destabilizing the economy. Photographer: Kyle Lam/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Markets
Evergrande
With Evergrande on the Brink, the ‘China Hustle’ Comes Home to Roost
Evergrande’s problems are part of a much larger pattern in Chinese equities. One overlooked documentary was a stark warning that needs revisiting.
An electronic screen displays the Hang Seng Index in the Central district of Hong Kong, China Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. Growing investor angst about China's real estate crackdown rippled through markets, pummeling Hong Kong developers and adding pressure on Beijing authorities to stop financial contagion from destabilizing the economy. Photographer: Kyle Lam/Bloomberg via Getty Images
By David Z. Morris
Sep 20, 2021 at 9:46 p.m. UTC
Sep 20, 2021
evergrandechinachina corruptionchina equitiesstock marketinvestingTetherOpinion
Evergrande Real Estate Group founder and Chairman Hui Ka Yan in March 2014. He's likely a bit less bouyant today - Evergrande is on the verge of default. (Getty)
Markets
Tether
Evergrande and China’s Looming Risk to Tether
Tether says it doesn’t hold short-term debt from the struggling developer. But that doesn’t mean tether holders aren’t at risk.
Evergrande Real Estate Group founder and Chairman Hui Ka Yan in March 2014. He's likely a bit less bouyant today - Evergrande is on the verge of default. (Getty)
By David Z. Morris
Sep 17, 2021 at 6:06 p.m. UTC
Sep 17, 2021
tetherevergrandechinachinese economychina cryptochina debtchina crashOpinion
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 14: Gary Gensler, Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee oversight hearing on the SEC on September 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein-Pool/Getty Images)
Markets
Eos
The Upside of a Gensler-Led Crackdown
Crypto players are expecting more aggressive regulation from the SEC. That has some potential benefits.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 14: Gary Gensler, Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee oversight hearing on the SEC on September 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein-Pool/Getty Images)
By David Z. Morris
Sep 15, 2021 at 4:25 p.m. UTC
Sep 15, 2021
eosdan larimergary genslersecOpinion
Fake news keyboard (Getty Images/Dazeley)
Finance
Litecoin
How Media Fell for a Lucrative Lie About Walmart
A series of failures by news services and gatekeepers sent Litecoin, an early altcoin, on a wild, fraudulent ride.
Fake news keyboard (Getty Images/Dazeley)
By David Z. Morris
Sep 13, 2021 at 7:19 p.m. UTC
Sep 13, 2021
LitecoinLitecoin FoundationWalmartPaymentsOpinion
SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR - MAY 20: MS-13 gang members languish in one of the three 'gang cages' in the Quezaltepeque police station May 20, 2013 in San Salvador, El Salvador. These overcrowded, 12x15 cages were designed to be 72-hour holding cells for common criminals and the two rival gangs, but many of the individuals have been imprisoned for over a year. (Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images.)
Finance
Bitcoin
Bukele’s MS-13 Double Bind
The Salvadoran President has had to operate in secret while negotiating with gangs. That has raised suspicions and lent aid to his critics.
SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR - MAY 20: MS-13 gang members languish in one of the three 'gang cages' in the Quezaltepeque police station May 20, 2013 in San Salvador, El Salvador. These overcrowded, 12x15 cages were designed to be 72-hour holding cells for common criminals and the two rival gangs, but many of the individuals have been imprisoned for over a year. (Photo by Giles Clarke/Getty Images.)
By David Z. Morris
Sep 10, 2021 at 4:05 p.m. UTC
Sep 10, 2021
bitcoinel salvadornayib bukelems-13money launderingcorruptionOpinion
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 20: Highlights from Sotheby's auctions of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern and African Art at Sotheby's, featuring The Visitor by South African artist Gerard Sekoto on March 20, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for Sotheby's)
Finance
Nfts
Do NFTs’ Crazy Valuations Make Them Art? A Leading Collector Says No
The cultural cachet that makes fine art such a good investment will take years to build up around NFTs.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 20: Highlights from Sotheby's auctions of Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern and African Art at Sotheby's, featuring The Visitor by South African artist Gerard Sekoto on March 20, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for Sotheby's)
By David Z. Morris
Sep 9, 2021 at 2:27 p.m. UTC
Sep 9, 2021
NFTsInvestingEthereumArtOpinion
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 09: (L-R) Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Gary Gensler, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew share a moment during a Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) meeting December 9, 2013 at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC. Members of FSOC met to discuss cybersecurity and receive a presentation from the Office of Financial Research on financial market developments. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Finance
Coinbase
Coinbase Has Words for the SEC. Is It Listening?
The crypto exchange says a surprise legal warning came after months of transparency about its lending plans.
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 09: (L-R) Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Gary Gensler, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew share a moment during a Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) meeting December 9, 2013 at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC. Members of FSOC met to discuss cybersecurity and receive a presentation from the Office of Financial Research on financial market developments. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
By David Z. Morris
Sep 8, 2021 at 3:45 p.m. UTC
Sep 8, 2021
CoinbaseBrian ArmstrongDeFiLendingSECGary GenslerOpinion
Afghan refugees in Indonesia. Banking bans and a lack of cryptocurrency infrastructure will add major barriers to Afghans trying to send money home. (Getty Images)
Technology
Ofac
Bitcoin Won’t Save the Afghan People
Crypto activity in the collapsing country is likely a sign of capital flight by corrupt elites, not aid or remittances flowing in, according to one expert.
Afghan refugees in Indonesia. Banking bans and a lack of cryptocurrency infrastructure will add major barriers to Afghans trying to send money home. (Getty Images)
By David Z. Morris
Sep 3, 2021 at 5:16 p.m. UTC
Sep 3, 2021
OFACAMLFinCENBitcoinOpinion
Firewood cord (Andrew Ridley/Unsplash)
Markets
Nfts
How NFTs Fit Into DeFi
Want liquidity without selling your Bored Ape? It’s coming.
Firewood cord (Andrew Ridley/Unsplash)
By David Z. Morris
Sep 1, 2021 at 3:33 p.m. UTC
Sep 1, 2021
NFTsDeFiSecurities LawOpinion
Jay Z (l) and his CryptoPunk Twitter Avatar (r)
Finance
Nfts
Art in the Age of Digital Scarcity: Why NFTs Enchant Us
For the first time, digital art has a sense of history - and the ineffable allure of authenticity.
Jay Z (l) and his CryptoPunk Twitter Avatar (r)
By David Z. Morris
Aug 30, 2021 at 7:37 p.m. UTC
Aug 30, 2021
NFTsCryptoPunkOpinion