The Block

Crypto media and research platform founded in 2018 with interactive market data dashboards

Publication Founded 2018 United States
Visit theblock.co
Our score
Very good
Format NewsResearchData
Coverage CryptoPolicyDeFiMarket Structure+2
Access Freemium
Languages English
Publishing frequency Continuous

What is The Block?

The Block is a digital media, research, and data platform covering cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and digital assets. Founded in 2018, it combines real-time editorial news reporting with institutional research reports and publicly accessible data dashboards covering decentralized finance and market metrics.

Ownership and company background

The outlet was founded in New York City by Mike Dudas, raising an initial $4 million seed round in 2018 from investors including Greycroft, Pantera Capital, BlockTower Capital, and Bloomberg Beta. In November 2023, Singapore-based investment firm Foresight Ventures acquired an 80% majority stake in the company in a $56 million deal that valued the business at $70 million. Larry Cermak is the chief executive officer.

Platform and coverage

The Block organizes its content into three main sections: free breaking news, institutional subscription services under The Block Pro, and data visualization dashboards. Editorial coverage tracks policy, regulatory updates, layer-1 and layer-2 developments, enterprise adoption, and DeFi security exploits. The Block Pro provides paywalled deep-dive research reports and market structure analyses. In February 2024, the company co-launched GMCI, a crypto index provider, alongside Wintermute, including the GMCI 30.

Track record and leadership changes

In December 2020, The Block published its first annual Digital Asset Outlook report. Leadership underwent major shifts in December 2022 when former CEO Michael McCaffrey resigned after revelations that he secretly took $43 million in personal and operational loans from Alameda Research. Bobby Moran served as interim chief executive before Larry Cermak was appointed CEO in March 2023 alongside a restructuring that reduced the workforce by one third.

Trade-offs and risks

In-depth institutional reports and sector forecasts are restricted behind paywalls under The Block Pro. The platform is majority-owned by Foresight Ventures. The company has a history of undisclosed Alameda Research executive financing.

Founders

Mike DudasFounder
Best for:Institutional market analystsOn-chain data researchersCrypto regulatory policy followersDeFi protocol monitors

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Extensive on-chain data and market visualization dashboards available for free
  • Co-launched the GMCI crypto index provider with Wintermute, including GMCI 30
  • Continuous editorial news coverage of global regulatory, market, and technical events
  • Institutional-grade research available across layer-1, layer-2, and DeFi sectors

Cons

  • Premium research reports and institutional analysis require a paid Pro subscription
  • Majority-owned by Foresight Ventures
  • Past leadership controversy involving $43 million in undisclosed Alameda Research loans
  • Staff layoffs reduced one third of the workforce in early 2023

Our review

4.0/5
Very good

The Block delivers crypto research and market data dashboards. The Block's ownership and executive governance history are material context for assessing its coverage.

Accuracy4.0
Depth4.5
Independence3.0
Freshness4.5
Reading experience4.0

The Block is a digital media, market data, and research company founded in 2018 in New York City by Mike Dudas. The platform combines free real-time news coverage with freemium market intelligence, including The Block Pro for institutional clients and public on-chain data dashboards covering exchange volumes, DeFi metrics, and layer-1 networks.

The editorial desk covers regulatory and policy reporting across digital assets, including protocol exploits.

Governance and independence history present clear trade-offs. In December 2022, former CEO Michael McCaffrey resigned after revelations that he accepted $43 million in undisclosed loans from Alameda Research. Following restructuring under CEO Larry Cermak, Singapore-based investment firm Foresight Ventures acquired an 80% majority stake in November 2023 in a deal valuing the firm at $70 million. Foresight Ventures holds a majority stake in the company. Extensive research reports also remain locked behind institutional subscription tiers.

The Block provides market updates and on-chain data dashboards.

Listings are researched and drafted with AI assistance from public sources, then checked for accuracy and readability. Spot an error? Tell us. Editorial policy.
Sources (1)

Specs

Format News, Research, Data
Coverage Crypto, Policy, DeFi, Market Structure, Layer 1, Layer 2 · unverified
Access Freemium
Languages English · unverified
Publishing frequency Continuous · unverified
Owned by Foresight Ventures · unverified

Not disclosed by the provider: Newsletter, Podcast, Labels sponsored content.

Data from the provider's website and public sources. Fees and availability change; confirm on the official site before you sign up.

Key features

Real-time news coverage

Publishes reporting on digital asset markets, regulatory filings, corporate moves, and decentralized protocol developments.

Data and indices dashboard

Provides market data dashboards and DeFi exploit trackers.

The Block Pro research

Delivers institutional reports and protocol breakdowns for paid subscribers across market structure and layer-1 or layer-2 ecosystems.

GMCI crypto indices

Offers benchmark crypto performance tracking developed in collaboration with trading firm Wintermute, including the GMCI 30 index.

Annual industry outlooks

Produces yearly digital asset outlook reports assessing macro developments, market cycles, and on-chain metrics.

Inside The Block

The Block News and Editorial

Publishes breaking digital asset coverage, policy updates, exchange developments, and regulatory actions across the cryptocurrency industry.

The Block Pro

Provides paid institutional intelligence and research reports focusing on market structure, DeFi protocols, and Layer 1 and Layer 2 ecosystems.

Data and Indices Dashboard

Tracks on-chain and exchange statistics, sector datasets, spot ETF flows, and DeFi exploit metrics in real time.

GMCI

Calculates benchmark digital asset indices, such as the GMCI 30 index, co-launched alongside Wintermute.

What users say about The Block

Mentions of The Block primarily consist of passing references as a news source across industry roundups and reports. There is insufficient recurring user feedback to establish distinct positive or negative themes.

Based on 33 Reddit posts and comments from the last 12 months, checked Oct 20, 2026. These are posts by users on other sites, not reviews submitted on CryptoReview.

User reviews

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Funding and investors

$4MTotal raised
2Rounds
5Investors
  1. Acquisition Nov 2023 $56M
    Source
  2. Seed Jan 2018 $4M
    Source

FAQ

Who founded The Block?

The Block was founded in 2018 by Mike Dudas in New York City. The outlet is led by CEO Larry Cermak.

Who owns The Block?

Singapore-based investment firm Foresight Ventures owns a majority stake of over 80% in The Block. The firm acquired its stake in November 2023 in a deal valuing the company at $70 million.

What security or governance incidents have affected The Block?

Former CEO Michael McCaffrey resigned in December 2022 after failing to disclose $43 million in loans from Alameda Research. The company subsequently restructured leadership and appointed Larry Cermak as CEO in March 2023.

Is The Block free to read?

The Block operates on a freemium model. General news stories and select public dashboards are free to access, while in-depth market research and institutional intelligence require a paid subscription to The Block Pro.

Latest from The Block on X

The Block
@TheBlockCo · 594.9K followers
Follow
THE BLOCK: Securitize expanded its tokenized U.S. stock offering to 25 equities, adding 13 companies, including ExxonMobil, GameStop, Salesforce, and Disney, to its existing lineup. $SECZ

The tokens trade on Solana and are backed 1:1 by underlying shares, providing eligible investors with associated economic benefits and rights, including dividends and voting rights where applicable.
Image attached to the post
6 10 33 7.1K View on X
THE BLOCK: Binance said it has completed the zero-knowledge proof for its Oct. 31 Proof of Reserves snapshot, allowing users holding BTC, ETH, USDT, BNB, SOL, USDC, XRP, USD1, RLUSD, and ZEC to independently verify that their balances are backed at least 1:1.

The exchange said it has covered approximately 95% of the assets impacted by last week's hack using its own funds, with the remaining 5% consisting of less-liquid tokens it is still working to acquire.

Binance plans another reserves snapshot on Nov. 4 and said it expects to begin progressively restoring withdrawals for additional networks and assets on Nov. 3.
Image attached to the post
8 3 20 8K View on X
THE BLOCK: Bitcoin treasury firm Strive $ASST acquired another 124 bitcoin:native for approximately $10 million at an average price of $80,526 per bitcoin between Oct. 24 and Oct. 30, bringing its total holdings to 43,124 BTC.

The company said it funded most of the purchases with existing cash and used its SATS preferred stock ATM program for the first time.
Image attached to the post
9 4 17 8.2K View on X
THE BLOCK: Brazilian crypto exchange Mercado Bitcoin confirmed a security incident and temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals, saying customers were unaffected.

Blockchain security firm Hypernative earlier flagged more than $40 million in suspicious transfers across multiple networks, according to local outlet BitNotícias.
Image attached to the post
15 17 72 15.1K View on X
THE BLOCK: Tom Lee's Bitmine $BMNR acquired 8,573 ethereum:native over the past week, bringing its holdings to 6.06 million ETH.

The company said it holds 4.9% of Ethereum's circulating supply, with 5.23 million ETH staked and total crypto, cash, and other investments valued at $14.5 billion.
Image attached to the post
4 3 22 8.4K View on X

Recent public posts from @TheBlockCo, shown as published. Not reviewed or endorsed by CryptoReview.

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