2019 has been a crazy ride, from Facebook announcing plans to launch its cryptocurrency Libra and digital wallet Calibra, to United States Congress enforcing a moratorium on the project, to China “seizing the opportunity”, to Craig Wright attempting to register US copyright of the bitcoin white paper and the code for Bitcoin 0.1.
This list of Crypto Top 20 Most Influential People is as diverse as ever, with
crypto innovation seeping in from all corners of the world. 2019 has seen
technologists, investors, policymakers and visionaries from all walks of life
entering the crypto space, making for an interesting year in terms of cryptocurrency endorsement and regulation.
crypto innovation seeping in from all corners of the world. 2019 has seen
technologists, investors, policymakers and visionaries from all walks of life
entering the crypto space, making for an interesting year in terms of cryptocurrency endorsement and regulation.
The end of 2019 brings down the curtain on an all-important decade for
cryptocurrencies and blockchain. In the space of ten years, Bitcoin has led the way for a wide variety of projects that have continued to shake up the space, with crypto innovation seeping in from all corners of the world - This list of Crypto Top 20 Most Influential People is as diverse as ever.
cryptocurrencies and blockchain. In the space of ten years, Bitcoin has led the way for a wide variety of projects that have continued to shake up the space, with crypto innovation seeping in from all corners of the world - This list of Crypto Top 20 Most Influential People is as diverse as ever.
As the past 12 months have shown, some of the world’s biggest institutions and businesses are actively looking to employ blockchain technology to improve the services they’re offering to users around the world.
As these key influencers spread out and propagate around the world, 2020 is predicted to be an exciting year in terms of mass blockchain adoption.
1) Changpeng Zhao a.k.a. CZ, is the founder and CEO of Binance - the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Binance has been very active this year from developing new products and services, such as DEX, country-specific exchanges to company acquisitions and even supporting governments with crypto adoption.
2) Jihan Wu, is the CEO and co-founder of Bitmain, which is the world's largest computer chip company for bitcoin mining. In October, Bitmain announced it will start building the world's largest bitcoin mining plant.
3) Jack Dorsey, is Co-founder and CEO of Twitter and Square, Dorsey has been an advocate for Bitcoin since the early days.
4) David Marcus, is the head of Facebook’s Libra team - which
could potentially introduce digital currencies to Facebook's billions of active users. David was formerly the president of PayPal, Marcus has sat in Coinbase’s Board of Directors since 2017.
could potentially introduce digital currencies to Facebook's billions of active users. David was formerly the president of PayPal, Marcus has sat in Coinbase’s Board of Directors since 2017.
5) Brian Armstrong is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the world’s leading digital currency exchange. His vision is heavily contributing to making cryptocurrency more mainstream.
6) Vitalik Buterin is the founder of Ethereum and an internationally recognized programmer.
7) Winklevoss brothers - Tyler and Cameron, the co-founders of leading
cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, and Winklevoss Capital.
cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, and Winklevoss Capital.
8) Roger Ver a.k.a. Bitcoin Jesus, is an early investor in bitcoin, bitcoin-related startups and an early promoter of bitcoin. He is the owner of Bitcoin.com and Blockchain.com.
9) Justin Sun, founder and CEO of TRON, and also owner of BitTorrent and
UTorrent. Earlier in 2019, Justin also was the winner of auction for a lunch
with Warren Buffett.
UTorrent. Earlier in 2019, Justin also was the winner of auction for a lunch
with Warren Buffett.
10) Charlie Lee has already made an important and lasting impact on the Blockchain industry. He is the founder of Litecoin and an internationally recognized expert.
11) Kelly Loeffler recently sworn in as Georgia's newest senator, was the former CEO of Bakkt, a subsidiary of ICE, focused on increasing institution and merchant access to digital assets. Having launched its Bitcoin Futures in Sep 2019, Bakkt reached an all-time monthly high of $37M within the first month.
Prior to her 15 years as CMO of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Loeffler served on the Board of Directors for Georgia Power Company.
12) Nick Szabo created what we know as smart contracts, which
essentially make cryptocurrencies possible. He has used his education in law and computer sciences to create the bones of what we know as the cryptoworld today in the form of the earliest cryptocurrency, Bit Gold.
essentially make cryptocurrencies possible. He has used his education in law and computer sciences to create the bones of what we know as the cryptoworld today in the form of the earliest cryptocurrency, Bit Gold.
13) Adam Back is a British cryptographer, cypherpunk, and crypto-hacker. He is the CEO of Blockstream and the inventor of hascash, the proof-of-work system used by Bitcoin.
14) Joseph Lubin is one of the most influential and popular people in Blockchain. He is the co-founder of Ethereum and the founder of
Consensys.
Consensys.
15) Charles Hoskinson is a preeminent Blockchain thinker and
developer. He is the CEO of IOHK and the creator of Cardano. Many consider his work a pillar of Blockchain tech.
developer. He is the CEO of IOHK and the creator of Cardano. Many consider his work a pillar of Blockchain tech.
16) Leon Li is the Founder and Group CEO of Huobi
Global, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the world from 2013 to 2017.
Global, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the world from 2013 to 2017.
17) Arthur Hayes, Co-founder and CEO of BitMEX, the platform for
traders to trade Bitcoin derivatives.
traders to trade Bitcoin derivatives.
18) Andreas M. Antonopoulos is one of the leading thinkers and speakers in the cryptocurrency space. He is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and crypto expert.
19) Fred Ehrsam is the co-founder of Paradigm, the crypto asset investment firm. Prior to Paradigm, Ehrsam was the co-founder of Coinbase and was previously a foreign exchange trader at Goldman Sachs in New York where he traded and managed Goldman’s electronic market-making platform.
20) Herbert Sim a.k.a. The Bitcoin Man, iconic with his Bitcoin Chain, is the founder of Crypto Chain University - the world's first repository for blockchain and crypto research papers, established in 2010.
Herbert is also an angel investor of multiple blockchain projects — FortuneZ, Future1Exchange, TaoDust, Karuschain, GLBrain, TEVEL. He was formerly Global Operations Director at Huobi, Chief Marketing Officer at Cryptology, and contributor to Forbes and Huffington Post.