Why Fiats Are Failing in 2020
From Brazil to Argentina to Turkey, bitcoin priced in local currencies is reaching all time highs. But is this a story of bitcoin succeeding, fiat failing or both?

From Brazil to Argentina to Turkey, bitcoin priced in local currencies is reaching all time highs. But is this a story of bitcoin succeeding, fiat failing or both?
For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.
This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com, Nexo.io and Elliptic.
Today on the Brief:
- DOJ crypto enforcement a “disaster” for privacy
- Ant’s blockchain tools pre-IPO
- Better news around jobless claims
Our main discussion: fiat failures, 2020 edition.
In this episode, NLW looks at a raft of geographies in which bitcoin has recently reached all-time highs, priced in the local currency. The story, he says, is about fiats floundering more than mispriced local bitcoin.
Special focus on economic happenings in Brazil, Argentina and Turkey.
Countries where #Bitcoin has hit a new ATH in their local currency:
— Alistair Milne (@alistairmilne) October 22, 2020
Brazil - pop. 209million
Turkey - pop. 82m
Argentina - pop. 44.5m
Sudan - pop. 41m
Angola - pop. 30m
Venezuala - pop. 29m
Zambia - pop. 17m
Soon:
Russia
Colombia
... then all other fiat currencies
See also: Inflation Is the Cruelest Tax
For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.
Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.
More For You
Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
State Street and Galaxy to Launch Tokenized Liquidity Fund on Solana in 2026

The fund will run on Solana at launch and use PYUSD.
What to know:
- State Street and Galaxy plan to launch SWEEP in early 2026, using PYUSD for around-the-clock investor flows on Solana.
- Ondo Finance committed about $200 million to seed the tokenized liquidity fund, which will later expand to other chains.
- The firms say the product brings traditional cash-management tools onto public blockchains for qualified institutions.











