Amazon Managed Blockchain: Web3 or Just Another Walled Garden?

Blockchain was supposed to set us free — free from middlemen, free from centralized control, free to transact and build trustlessly. But what happens when one of the biggest centralized tech giants decides to “help” with blockchain adoption? Enter Amazon Managed Blockchain (AMB) — a service that sounds futuristic but feels like a corporate stranglehold on what was meant to be decentralized.

So, let’s break it down: Is Amazon revolutionizing blockchain, or is it just putting a fancy name on another centralized cloud service?

Amazon Managed Blockchain promises to let businesses easily set up and run blockchain networks without the headache of managing infrastructure. Sounds great, right? But here’s the catch — Amazon is still running the show.

🔹 Supports Hyperledger Fabric (great for private, permissioned enterprise networks)
🔹 Supports Ethereum (allows companies to interact with Ethereum mainnet and testnets)
🔹 Fully managed (meaning Amazon, not you, is in charge of the underlying infrastructure)

This is blockchain without the decentralization — a contradiction at its core. It’s not Web3, it’s just Web2 with a blockchain sticker on it.

Amazon isn’t the first tech giant to play this game. Let’s take a look at how some of the biggest corporations have tried to “embrace” blockchain — while making sure they keep control.

Microsoft launched Azure Blockchain Service, a fully managed ledger solution, but quietly shut it down in 2021. Why? It wasn’t decentralized, and enterprises didn’t bite. Microsoft realized that blockchain without decentralization is just an expensive database.

IBM doubled down on Hyperledger Fabric, working with big players like Walmart for supply chain tracking. But once again, it’s a permissioned network controlled by a handful of companies — nothing remotely Web3 about it.

Facebook (Meta) thought it could launch its own cryptocurrency, Libra (later Diem), and become the bank of the future. The world (and regulators) responded with a hard “Nope.”
Why? Because a private company running a so-called “decentralized” financial system was a joke. Libra never had a chance.

Let’s be real — Amazon’s move into blockchain isn’t about decentralization. It’s about owning the infrastructure that companies use to build blockchain-based applications.

✅ More companies locked into AWS (because you need AWS to run AMB)
✅ A cut of the blockchain boom without embracing decentralization
✅ Control over permissioned blockchain networks

❌ True decentralization (Amazon holds the keys)
❌ Censorship resistance (if AWS goes down, so does your blockchain)
❌ The trustless nature of blockchain (since you still have to trust Amazon)

This isn’t Web3. This is Web 2.5 — a weird middle ground where corporations use blockchain tech without giving up control.

It depends on who you ask.

🚀 If you’re a business that just wants to experiment with blockchain without managing infrastructure, AMB makes things easy.

💀 If you’re a Web3 purist, this is just another Big Tech trap — a centralized entity repackaging blockchain while keeping the control in their hands.

One thing is clear: Amazon isn’t here to decentralize anything — it’s here to capitalize on blockchain without embracing its core principles.

The real question is: Will Web3 thrive despite corporate walled gardens, or will we see the internet’s decentralized future slowly pulled back into the hands of a few giants?

If you’re interested in how blockchain, crypto, and decentralized finance (DeFi) are shaping the future of money, check out FutureFinanceLab.com. It’s an educational platform dedicated to breaking down complex financial topics and helping you navigate the new world of digital assets.

Stay informed. Stay decentralized. Stay ahead.