Why Have Bitcoin and Gold Prices Crashed? Is $40,000 BTC's Approaching Bottom?

Show Notes

Gold-backed loans? Bitcoin headed to $40k? So much to break down. Ledn Co-Founder Mauricio Di Bartolomeo joins Natalie Brunell for a first-time announcement: Tether's tokenized gold (XAUt) is coming to Ledn — the first step toward gold-backed loans later this year. He answers the Bitcoin purists on adding gold, breaks down Ledn's first S&P investment-grade bond backed by Bitcoin loans, and gives a firsthand account of Venezuela after Maduro's capture. Topics we cover: - XAUt tokenized gold (real bars in Tether's Swiss vaults) coming to Ledn, with gold-backed loans later this year - Inside Ledn's first S&P investment-grade bond backed by Bitcoin loans — and how the ABS market could scale Bitcoin credit toward $1 trillion - Mauricio's answer to Bitcoiners who don't like credit products or investing in other assets - Natalie's experience taking her first Ledn loan: https://youtu.be/xD3ZoZ2woPk?si=ix0HKnD85hqMTokU - Why Ledn caps loans at 50% LTV, and how auto top-off protects borrowers from liquidation - His read on "seller exhaustion" and why he expects a more resilient summer - Venezuela after Maduro's capture — and the crackdown on its illegal gold mines Follow Mauricio Di Bartolomeo on X https://x.com/cryptonomista and sign up for Ledn's services at https://ledn.io/natalie to get .25% off your first loan. 📖 Order Natalie's new book "Bitcoin is For Everyone," a simple introduction to Bitcoin and what’s broken in our current financial system https://amzn.to/3WzFzfU ⚡ *Speed Lightning Wallet* For easy, low-cost, instant Bitcoin payments, I use Speed. Download and use promo code COINSTORIES10 for 5,000 free sats https://www.speed.app/natalie ⚡ *Ledn* is the global leader in Bitcoin-backed loans, issuing over $10 billion in loans since 2018, and they were the first to offer proof of reserves. With Ledn, you get custody loans, no credit checks, no monthly payments, and more. Get .25% off your first loan, learn more at https://www.ledn.io/natalie ⚡ *Abundant Mines* Fully-managed Bitcoin mining in the U.S. You own the miners. You keep 100% of the Bitcoin. Voted #1 mining company by peers. Get 1 month of free hosting https://abundantmines.com/Natalie/ ⚡ *Block's Bitkey Cold Storage Wallet* was named to TIME's prestigious Best Inventions in the category of Privacy & Security. Get 10% off using code STORIES at https://bitkey.world ⚡ *The Bitcoin Way* Master your Bitcoin self-custody with 1-on-1 help and gain peace of mind with the help of The Bitcoin Way https://www.thebitcoinway.com/natalie ⚡ *BitcoinIRA* You can invest in bitcoin 24/7 inside a tax-advantaged IRA. Choose a Traditional IRA to defer taxes, or a Roth IRA for tax-free withdrawals later. Take control of your future with BitcoinIRA https://www.bitcoinira.com/natalie *Natalie's Upcoming Events* ⚡ Bitcoin Asia is in August and Bitcoin 2027 early bird tickets are already live — grab the lowest pricing available and use code HODL for 10% off: https://tickets.b.tc/event/bitcoin-2027?promoCodeTask=apply&promoCodeInput=HODL *Extra Services to Consider* ⚡ Ditch your fiat health insurance like I did four years ago! Join me at CrowdHealth www.joincrowdhealth.com/natalie for a discounted plan. *IN THIS EPISODE* 00:00 The Exclusive: Physical Gold Is Officially Coming to Ledn 3:02 Why Ledn Added Gold — and What Tokenization Unlocks 7:00 Inside Tether's Swiss Vaults: How XAUt Gold Works 7:58 Can You Trust a Digital Gold Receipt? 9:44 Bitcoin Retests $60K: Why This Drop Feels Different 13:39 Natalie's Top-Up Alert: What a Margin Call Really Feels Like 17:33 The Ideological Battle: Why Bitcoin Purists Reject Credit 23:55 "Is Lending Immoral?" — Answering the Critics 26:49 The Bitcoin OGs Who Quietly Borrow Against Their Stack 30:50 Ledn's S&P-Rated Bond and the Path to a $1 Trillion Market 36:19 Venezuela: Apaches Over Caracas the Night Maduro Fell 40:55 Inside Venezuela's Illegal Gold Mines — and the Crackdown *OTHER RESOURCES* Natalie Brunell’s website https://www.talkingbitcoin.com *FOLLOW NATALIE BRUNELL ON SOCIAL MEDIA* X https://x.com/natbrunell https://www.instagram.com/nataliebrunell Producer: Aron Bender https://www.linkedin.com/in/aron-bender Editor: Silas Foley 📄 LEGAL & RISK DISCLOSURE This content is for entertainment purposes only — not financial, legal, or tax advice. Always consult a licensed professional. I may receive compensation from sponsored content and affiliate links at no cost to you. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and speculative; you risk losing capital. All opinions reflect personal views based on information available at time of recording and are not guaranteed to be accurate or predictive of future performance. #bitcoin #crypto #macro #stocks #cryptocurrency #news #economy