The Best Longreads in Business and Finance for the week of April 5

The Bitcoin Bubble and the Future of Currency Felix Salmon, Medium What makes Bitcoin work, such as it does, is its anonymity and advanced security. This also makes it an ideal target for hackers. As Washington’s top risk seeker, Richard Berner crunches numbers to see around dark corners in the economy Jim Tankersley, Washington Post When Dodd-Frank set up the Office of Financial Research to give regulators a heads-up on financial instability, they turned to one of the most prescient Wall Street economists. Can Richard Berner give regulators the instruments that will let them prevent the next crisis? How the Fed fueled an explosion in subprime auto loans Carrick Mollenkamp, Reuters Thanks to rock-bottom interest rates, banks are taking on more risk lending to subprime car buyers. They’ll even take shotguns for down payments. The Bad-Boy Brand Lizzie Widdicombe, The New Yorker How did the relentlessly controversial, tasteless, and brilliant bible for young New Yorkers become the envy of their established peers? Blair, Scorned at Home, Builds Business Empire Abroad Stephanie Baker, Bloomberg Markets

Tony Blair was the U.K.'s prime minister for 10 years. In the six years since he left office, his companies have raised $90 million and his charities have attracted $39 million. But instead of being a highly paid adviser to banks and a rainmaker for foreign governments, Blair would rather be back in political power.