Juan Mari didn’t learn crypto from a textbook; he learned it in the waves. At just 14 years old, the Puerto Rican native was trading surf lessons for blockchain knowledge with a group of twenty-something crypto traders. They paid him in tokens and tips. He paid attention.
“I taught them to surf,” he laughs, “and they taught me to trade.”
What followed was a teenage crash course in market cycles, trading tools, and the deeper mechanics of crypto. Midway through high school, Mari was managing wallets, without realizing the legal implications, and learning how to grow small amounts of capital into something more substantial. The path wasn’t linear. He admits to launching and folding five startups before founding Blok Assets.
That experimentation is part of what shaped him. “I had to understand the tech behind these tokens,” he says. “I wasn’t just interested in trading anymore. I wanted to build.”
Token Utility vs. Hype
Blok Assets was born out of that desire to build. Today, it’s a growing tokenization firm specializing in both utility tokens and asset-backed digital instruments. But Mari is quick to challenge the hype-driven narrative that surrounds token launches.
“I always ask, ‘Do you really need a token?’” he says. “Because most people use tokens just to raise funds and if there’s no real utility, the pressure’s on to keep pumping it.”
Mari sees tokens as tools, not financial shortcuts. “A utility token isn’t an investment vehicle. It’s a mechanism for access, incentives, and benefits,” he explains. “Look at Ethereum. The price goes up because people need ETH to use the network not because it’s posting profits like a company.”
That core philosophy drives his work with clients, especially traditional companies entering Web3 for the first time. He and his small but focused team guide founders through tokenomics, legal structuring, and compliance especially in the U.S., where SEC rules dominate asset tokenization.
Regulatory Clarity, Not Chaos
When it comes to security tokens, tokens backed by real assets like real estate, equity, or commodities, Mari doesn’t mince words: “These aren’t crypto. They’re regulated securities. Full stop.”
Blok Assets ensures clients comply with complex frameworks like Reg D, Reg S, and Reg A exemptions. “We’ve worked with SEC-registered transfer agents who actually track token-based equity transfers,” he says. “It’s happening now and only in the U.S. The rest of the world isn’t quite there yet.”
For Mari, that regulatory clarity is a feature, not a bug. He’s wary of the confusion between crypto tokens and tokenized assets. “They use the same technology, but they are totally different animals.”
A Brand Built on Trust
In a sector known for rug pulls and vapourware, Mari leans into transparency. He’s vocal, visible, and honest about the limits of his knowledge.
“No one in crypto knows it all,” he says. “We don’t pretend to. But you’ll know where we live, you’ll see our faces, and we won’t be the ones dumping your token.”
That kind of straightforwardness is attracting the right kind of attention. Blok Assets is now working with commodity projects, emerald, jade, and gold mines. It is also partnering with compliance platforms like Zekret Foundation which understands the need for KMC and AML as standard for any financial projects.
Zekret Labs is partnering with Blok Assets to strengthen its compliance-first Layer-3 technology for regulated real-world assets (RWAs). By integrating Blok Assets’ deep expertise in structuring and issuing digital and tangible assets, Zekret Labs is embedding practical, market-tested standards directly into its protocol. This ensures that assets launched on Zekret’s infrastructure are not only technically sound but also designed from day one to be fully auditable, reportable, and compliant with global regulatory frameworks.
Blok Assets has built a track record in bringing tokenized products, particularly in commodities, real estate, private equities and alternative investments. It brings these RWAs into the hands of real users, navigating the complexities of RWA issuance, custody, and secondary trading. Their experience adds an essential layer of credibility and operational insight to Zekret’s compliance engine, reinforcing its ability to serve banks, funds, and institutional participants who demand transparency and rigorous controls.
Together, the partnership positions Zekret Labs as the enabling fabric for the next generation of compliant tokenized markets—where RWAs can move seamlessly on-chain without compromising on regulatory acceptability. This collaboration underscores Zekret’s commitment to becoming the trusted infrastructure layer where institutional DeFi and tokenized real-world assets converge.
Membership Models and Real-World Utility
His go-to metaphor for understanding tokens? Big-box retailers like Sam’s Club or Costco.
“You buy a membership, you get discounts, you earn points. That’s a utility token,” he explains. “Only now, we’re changing the technology underneath those systems, replacing plastic cards with smart contracts.”
The trick, he says, is making it seamless. “A good token system works in the background. Users don’t need to know it’s Web3. They just see value.”
Riding the Wave
At just 21, Juan Mari has the confidence of someone who’s spent a decade in the industry, because, well, he has. His age may surprise some, but his experience runs deep. From surf kid to founder, from crypto cowboy to compliance consultant, his journey proves one thing above all else:
You don’t need a degree to spot a trend early. You just need to paddle out and catch the right wave.
