The Block appoints veteran media operator Steve Chung as CEO

The Block has appointed veteran media and technology executive Steve Chung as CEO to oversee the company's institutional expansion.

Chung began his career at Goldman Sachs and has since built and scaled global media and technology platforms across the U.S. and Asia. He previously served as Chief Growth Officer at Fox Corporation, Chief Digital Officer at Fox TV Stations, and CEO of CJ ENM America. Chung was also Chief Operating Officer at NFT company Azuki.

Chung joins at a pivotal moment as crypto converges with traditional finance and institutional participation grows, while AI reshapes how information is created, distributed, and consumed.

"The next generation of market leaders in information services will be defined by trust, proprietary data, and direct relationships with institutional audiences," Chung said in a statement. "The Block has built a strong foundation across all three. The focus now is to scale that into a globally relevant platform for investors and decision-makers in digital assets, while applying AI to enhance the depth, speed, and utility of our insights."

Chung takes over from Larry Cermak, who remains President of The Block, overseeing research, data, and product.

"Steve is the right operator to take The Block from category leader to global market leader," Cermak said. "His experience across finance, media, and crypto positions him to scale the business with the rigor and focus required to serve institutional audiences at a global level."

"Steve Chung's steadfast commitment to upholding The Block's editorial independence and integrity, combined with his extensive media experience, will further elevate our brand's authority," Adam James, Publisher at The Block, said. "We are confident that this leadership will empower our entire team to produce even more exceptional, industry-leading content across print, multimedia, and all our creative efforts."

Foresight commits an additional $10 million

The Block was acquired by Foresight Ventures in 2023 and has since strengthened its balance sheet and expanded its institutional footprint.

Foresight recently committed an additional $10 million in growth capital to support the company's next phase of expansion. With Chung in place, the company plans to scale its institutional research and data offerings, expand its enterprise business, and deepen its role as a key information provider within the global digital asset ecosystem.

"When we invested in The Block, our conviction was that digital assets would require a trusted, global institution of record," Zac Tsui, partner at Foresight Ventures, said. "The Block has established that foundation. After an extensive global search, we are confident Steve is the right leader to bring the operating rigor and cross-market perspective to scale The Block into a category-defining, global platform for institutional participants."

Tsui added that the latest investment reflects confidence in The Block's hard-to-replicate institutional reach and trusted content and data, arguing that AI will amplify its proprietary information rather than disrupt it.

"Platforms with proprietary data and institutional trust are the ones that will be elevated the most by AI, not the ones that get displaced by it," Tsui said. "The Block sits in exactly that position. Bringing in an operator with Steve's background across capital markets, media, and crypto gives us the right leadership to move quickly and deliberately on that opportunity."

"We are not reinventing the platform. We are taking what already works and enhancing it to become a powerful and indispensable global platform for the industry," Chung said.