Mariblock is becoming a more useful institution for Africa’s digital asset economy, bringing together journalism, research, data, tools and events to help the people building, investing in and regulating the industry make sense of a market that is becoming more complex and consequential.
When we started Mariblock four years ago, Africa’s blockchain industry was still finding its footing. There were relatively few companies to follow, little institutional interest and even less reliable information about what was happening. Blockchain remained a peripheral concern for much of the African financial industry.
Ours was a fairly straightforward job of helping make the industry visible.
A lot has changed since then.
The industry is getting more sophisticated and increasingly woven into the financial system. The line between fintech and crypto is getting blurrier by the day, thanks in no small part to the proliferation of stablecoins. And, as tends to happen when money starts moving in a direction, a growing ecosystem of journalists, analysts and researchers is now covering the industry.
That is a good thing. It also means our original job is no longer enough.
Becoming a more useful institution
As Africa’s blockchain industry grows more complex, finding the throughline across its many developments is getting harder. We’re becoming the information partner the industry needs.
News is no longer enough
Chart: Mariblock
When an industry is barely visible, more information is useful. As it grows, the harder problem becomes knowing what to pay attention to. Which developments matter? And what do they mean for stakeholders — the people building, investing in and regulating the market?
Those are the questions behind Mariblock 2.0.
At the start of last year, we began rethinking what Mariblock should become as the industry entered a new phase. We came to believe that our next chapter was to become a more useful institution, the place people turn to when they need to understand the market.
Journalism remains the foundation of that work, but it goes beyond telling people that something happened to explaining its context and consequences. On top of that, we are building the research, data, tools, platforms and events that give people a fuller view of the market and help them navigate it.
Our work will continue to be guided by the question that has been with us from the beginning: does this make African economies stronger and freer?
Answering it well means understanding what blockchain is changing across the economy, from how capital moves and businesses operate to how financial systems evolve. As blockchain moves deeper into the financial system, we believe that question will only become more important.
I hope you’ll find the work useful and that Mariblock becomes a trusted companion as you navigate Africa’s changing digital asset economy. I invite you to join us.
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