Blockworks, a New York-based cryptocurrency data and investor relations platform, did just that acquired It is competing with Messari in a deal that underscores the growing consolidation pressures that are reshaping the digital assets industry — and the sharp reassessment facing once high-flying cryptocurrency startups.
This acquisition brings together two of the largest cryptographic information companies in the industry. Masari, founded in 2018, has built a comprehensive data platform covering more than 40,000 digital assets, along with APIs, market intelligence, research tools, and AI-powered workflows used by funds, exchanges, regulators, and developers.
Blockworks, also founded in 2018, has focused on the issuer side of the crypto capital markets, offering standardized disclosures through the Token Transparency Framework and a full investor relations platform for onchain assets.
Blockworks paid more than $10 million for Messari — a significant discount from Messari’s valuation of about $300 million when it raised a $35 million Series B led by Brevan Howard’s cryptocurrency arm in 2022, with Point72 Ventures also among its backers. According to For the Wall Street Journal.
The downgrade reflects Messari’s recent difficulties — including the departure of co-founder and longtime CEO Ryan Selkis in 2024 and subsequent headcount reductions — and the broader headwinds sweeping through the cryptocurrency sector.
“This acquisition connects both sides of the market,” said Jason Yanowitz, co-founder of Blockworks. “Issuers maintain a trusted record of their business, and investors, exchanges, and regulators consume that record through search, APIs, and automated workflows.”
Blockworks is being pushed to unify the fragmented crypto data market
The deal was partially funded through Blockworks’ recently closed Series A addendum, which valued the company at $192 million. This round was co-led by ParaFi and Reciprocal Ventures and included participation from Coinbase Ventures, among others.
Blockworks said it raised capital specifically to unify the fragmented data and information market for cryptocurrencies, drawing comparisons to how Wall Street’s information layer eventually coalesced around dominant platforms like Bloomberg, FactSet, Standard & Poor’s Global.
Messari CEO Deran Lee, who took over after Selkis’s departure and repositioned the company as an “AI-first company,” will join Blockworks as a senior leader under co-founders Janowitz and Michael Ippolito.
The deal arrives as merger and acquisition activity in the cryptocurrency space continues to rise despite challenging market conditions. Cryptocurrency companies have completed 144 deals worth a total of $11.8 billion so far in 2026 — up about 3.5% from the same period last year — according to data from consulting firm Architect Partners.
However, Eric Risley, founder of Architect Partners, warned that continued pressure on trading volumes and token prices could lead to further distressed sales. “We are in the midst of creating haves and have-nots,” Risley said. Wall Street Journal.
Executives at both Blockworks and Messari said the combined platform will prioritize deeper data coverage, stronger APIs, enhanced compliance workflows, and native AI research tools as digital assets increasingly migrate across the chain.
