Frank Chaparro is the editor-at-large of The Block, a prominent media outlet extensively covering both the traditional financial market and the...
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Frank Chaparro
Frank Chaparro is the editor-at-large of The Block, a prominent media outlet extensively covering both the traditional financial market and the cryptocurrency market. Having joined The Block as its inaugural reporter in 2018, he played a key role in establishing the publication as a leader in financial journalism and research. The Block publishes articles that provide valuable insights into the interaction between the cryptocurrency industry and traditional finance, technology, government, and markets. Additionally, it offers top-notch research and data portfolios to institutional clients through its paid service, The Block Pro.
Early step toward journalism
Chaparro majored in International Political Economy and Theology at Fordham University, where he also served as a radio news anchor at WFUV. During that time, he found political reporting to be somewhat tedious, as it predominantly revolved around the bickering of politicians. On the contrary, he found industrial news more rewarding, as it catered to people's genuine information needs. In his quest to deepen his understanding of industries, he interned at Nasdaq in marketing and corporate communications, where he acquired knowledge about capital markets, market formation, market structure, initial public offerings, and the stock market. It was not the job itself that captivated him but rather the daily routine of immersing himself in The Wall Street Journal and tuning in to Bloomberg Radio.
In 2017, during his senior year of college, he ventured into journalism through an internship at Business Insider. After being transferred to full-time employment, he initially aspired to work as a financial journalist, but he was instructed to write articles about Bitcoin. Initially harboring a negative view of the cryptocurrency market, perceiving it to be at odds with the traditional financial market, Chaparro eventually embraced the trend and immersed himself in the world of cryptocurrencies. He not only covered cryptocurrencies but also emphasized the commonalities between cryptocurrencies and the traditional financial market embodied by Wall Street. His coverage encompassed exchanges, trading firms, market structure, Morgan Stanley, digital asset management, and more. His reports at Business Insider gained recognition and were featured in esteemed publications such as the Financial Times, CNBC, Bloomberg News, Reuters, MSN, AOL, CoinDesk, Barron's, and American Innovation.
Joining The Block
Chaparro joined The Block with the intention of delving deeper into blockchain technology and producing reliable articles for readers. In his assessment of media coverage on the cryptocurrency industry, he identified three categories: legacy media (e.g., CNBC, Bloomberg), cryptocurrency-specific media (e.g., CoinDesk, Cointelegraph), and citizen journalism. Recognizing a stark polarization between legacy media, which primarily focused on the perspective of traditional institutions, and cryptocurrency-specific media/citizen journalists, who were excessively engrossed in cryptocurrency technology and price-related content, Chaparro aimed to occupy the middle ground. His goal was to establish a platform, The Block, capable of providing accurate information to the public.
At The Block, Chaparro takes charge of investigating influential individuals and companies within the cryptocurrency market, leading a global team of financial journalists and researchers. In addition, he hosts THE SCOOP, a podcast that engages in discussions on various news and topics, including NFTs, the impact of DeFi on Wall Street, the role of Bitcoin, and weekly guest appearances.
THE SCOOP(source: The Block podcasts)
Insights on Cryptocurrencies
"Like, that doesn’t make sense to normal people, and we need to, or those companies rather need to make sense of their projects to regular people, and so, that’s the impediment we need to get over. A use case for crypto that makes sense to the masses, not an ETF, and so, I think, if we got an ETF tomorrow, maybe the price would rally a bit, but I think that’s all gonna go down, because you’re gonna think, “All right, now regular investors have access to this market.” But, it’s the same thing as if you have an amusement park. This is a really stupid analogy. (a rough) But, if you can buy your tickets online, and there’s not that many cool rides that excite you, you’re not gonna go to the amusement park. Likewise, if you have an ETF, but there’s nothing that you think is that great about crypto, or you don’t understand it, right? If there’s still that educational barrier, you’re still not gonna invest in the ETF."
— Frank Chaparro: Behind the Scenes of Crypto Media, (paraphrased and excerpt)
— Frank Chaparro: Behind the Scenes of Crypto Media, (paraphrased and excerpt)
Chaparro emphasizes that while cryptocurrency ETFs play a crucial role in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, they do not necessarily exert a direct impact on cryptocurrency prices. In the long run, what truly matters for cryptocurrency prices is not merely quantitative data such as the number of active users in a given month, dApp usage, or daily fluctuations. Instead, qualitative factors such as the expansion of actual digital assets themselves or endeavors to integrate into the mobile ecosystem actively used by people hold greater significance.
Writer: Chris Park, Research Contributor at DeSpread
Reviewed by Jeehyun Ham, PR Lead at DeSpread
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