Frank Chaparro is the Director of News at The Block — one of the leading crypto media and institutional research outlets — who joined in 2018 after reporting on equity markets and Wall Street at Business Insider, bringing a traditional financial journalism background to crypto coverage that distinguished him from many crypto journalists who came primarily from technical or community backgrounds, and who has become recognized as one of the more dogged and well-sourced reporters in the industry across the cycles of crypto market booms, exchange collapses, and regulatory battles that defined 2018-2024.
Background
Frank Chaparro studied journalism and worked as a markets reporter at Business Insider before transitioning to crypto journalism. At Business Insider, he covered Wall Street, financial markets, institutional finance, and the broader U.S. equity and debt markets — giving him a reporting toolkit focused on sourcing within financial institutions, understanding market microstructure, and translating complex financial products for general audiences.
He joined The Block in approximately 2018 — the year the publication was founded by Mike Dudas — and became one of its core reporters, eventually becoming Director of News.
Reporting at The Block
Chaparro’s coverage at The Block has focused on:
- Exchange news — Monitoring major crypto exchanges including Coinbase, Binance, FTX, Kraken, Gemini, and reporting on trading volumes, product launches, regulatory issues, and corporate developments.
- Institutional finance — Tracking how traditional financial institutions engage with crypto — from Goldman Sachs’ desk, to BlackRock’s ETF applications, to bank custody developments.
- Market news — Breaking price-moving developments and interpreting market structure events (liquidation cascades, stablecoin depegs, protocol exploits).
- M&A and deal flow — Tracking crypto company acquisitions, fundraises, and strategic transactions.
- Regulatory developments — SEC enforcement actions, Congressional hearings, and agency rulemaking affecting the crypto industry.
FTX Coverage
During the FTX collapse in November 2022, Chaparro was among the reporters working the story intensely — covering the bankruptcy, the revelation of FTX’s balance sheet issues, and eventually the investigation of Sam Bankman-Fried.
The FTX collapse also had internal resonance for The Block, as it was simultaneously revealed that former CEO Mike McCaffrey had accepted a $27 million loan from SBF. Chaparro remained as one of the editorial leaders through that period.
The Scoop Newsletter
Chaparro has published The Scoop — a newsletter and podcast format — distributing institutional-focused crypto market updates. The newsletter and associated audio content feature interviews with executives, traders, and analysts across the crypto ecosystem.
Key Dates
- Pre-2018 — Markets reporter at Business Insider covering Wall Street.
- 2018 — Joins The Block in its founding year.
- 2021 — Bull market coverage; significant exchange and institutional news during peak prices.
- November 2022 — FTX collapse reporting; The Block FTX loan scandal.
- 2023–2024 — Continues as Director of News; coverage of crypto recovery cycle.
Common Misconceptions
- “Frank Chaparro is the founder of The Block.” — The Block was founded by Mike Dudas. Chaparro joined as a reporter and rose to Director of News.
- “The Block is not credible after the FTX loan scandal.” — The FTX loan was a conflict-of-interest issue involving the former CEO specifically, not reporters like Chaparro. The Block’s editorial team was not implicated in the financial arrangements, and Chaparro remained to continue independent reporting.
Last updated: 2026-04