In this episode, Nik is joined by Matt Pines, executive director of the Bitcoin Policy Institute, to unpack what could be the biggest shift in U.S. geoeconomic strategy in decades. Together, they explore the vision behind a potential “Bretton Woods 2.0”—a new system emerging from reciprocal tariffs, capital wars, and a shrinking global dollar zone. They dive deep into how the U.S. is building a trade and monetary alliance to isolate China, restructure global capital flows, and re-anchor demand for U.S. Treasuries. With gold, stablecoins, and possibly bitcoin playing growing roles in global settlements, this conversation lays out what a new financial order might look like—and where U.S. policy could be heading next.
Links to articles:
- https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/04/cea-chairman-steve-miran-hudson-institute-event-remarks/
- https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/a-global-economic-reordering-us-china-competition-and-bitcoin-as-tool-of-us-statecraft
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Nik Bhatia's Twitter: https://twitter.com/timevalueofbtc
Creative Director Matthew Ball's Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewrball
Researcher Demian Schatt's Twitter: https://x.com/demianschatt
Chapters:
00:00:00 Understanding the Breton Woods Reimagined
00:06:20 Global Economic and Security Challenges
00:12:21 Understanding the Dual Public Good: Defense and Reserve Currency
00:19:19 Challenges in Global Defense Manufacturing
00:25:46 Transition from LIBOR to SOFR: Understanding the Global Benchmark
00:31:02 Understanding Government Dollar Policies
00:37:03 International Negotiations: Gold, Bitcoin, and Stablecoins in Currency Talks
00:42:53 China's Strategic Devaluation of Yuan and Gold's Role
00:48:39 Strategies to Isolate China: Global Economic Alliances
00:54:40 Matt Pines and Bitcoin Policy Insights
The Bitcoin Layer and its guests do not provide investment advice.
