Bradley Keoun is the managing editor of tech & protocols at CoinDesk, where he leads a team of reporters covering blockchain technology. He also previously managed the global crypto markets team. Keoun has been recognized as a finalist for the Loeb Awards twice. Before joining CoinDesk, he held the position of chief global finance and economic correspondent at TheStreet, and also worked as an editor and reporter at Bloomberg News in both New York and Mexico City. He is currently based in Austin, Texas, and enjoys playing the guitar, participating in a choir, and hiking in the Texas Hill Country during his free time. ^[1][2]

Education & Early Life

Keoun earned a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering and Classical Studies from Duke University in 1993. He later pursued a Master's degree in Mass Communications at the University of Florida, completing it between 1995 and 1999. Keoun attended Canterbury School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for his primary and secondary education from 1976 to 1989. ^[3]

Career

Keoun has a background in journalism, specializing in finance, economics, and energy industries. He held notable positions at TheStreet in Austin, Texas, from 2015 to 2019, serving as the Senior Global Finance and Economics Correspondent. During this time, he covered various aspects of the financial sector including U.S. banks, private equity firms, insurance companies, and regulatory matters. Prior to this, he managed a team of reporters covering FX, bond markets, equities, and government finance as the Deputy Team Leader of Latin American Markets at Bloomberg News from 2013 to 2015. ^[4]

Keoun's investigative journalism work includes a fellowship at the National Press Foundation in Washington D.C. in December 2018, focusing on public and private pensions and retirement-savings issues. He also completed an Investigative Journalism Fellowship at City University of New York's McGraw Center for Business Journalism from 2016 to 2018, where he conducted in-depth reporting on the investment decisions of major U.S. public pension funds. ^[4]

He played crucial roles in significant stories throughout his career. He played a lead role in Bloomberg's coverage of the 2008 financial crisis, particularly in reporting on Citigroup and Merrill Lynch. In 2011, he led Bloomberg's award-winning series on the Federal Reserve's secret emergency loans to major banks. He also led the reporting on credit-index trades by JPMorgan trader Bruno Iksil, known as the "London Whale," resulting in significant trading losses for the bank. ^[4]

Keoun began his career at the Chicago Tribune in 1999, covering general news, crime, and schools. He continued this focus at the Gainesville Sun in Florida. He also gained experience as a Press Office Intern at the National Cancer Institute and as a Research Assistant/Event Coordinator at the Florida Solar Energy Center, contributing to various research projects and events related to solar energy. ^[4]

His early experiences include internships at NASA Langley Research Center and Elektrik Isleri Etut Idaresi, where he contributed to the development of innovative engineering projects. ^[4]

CoinDesk

Starting as a Senior Markets Reporter at CoinDesk in September 2019, based in Austin, Texas, Bradley Keoun provided in-depth insights into cryptocurrency markets, focusing on institutional investors' interest and innovators' efforts to disrupt traditional finance. ^[4]

In May 2020, Keoun took on the role of Editor for First Mover, where he curated and wrote content for CoinDesk's daily cryptocurrency markets newsletter. ^[4]

In February 2021, he was promoted to Managing Editor for Markets, further shaping CoinDesk's market coverage. Currently, as Managing Editor of Tech and Protocols since January 2023, based in Austin, Texas, Keoun oversees the team covering blockchain technology. ^[4]