Having whistleblowers’ trust made a cranky pseudonymous Twitter account key to the flameout of Terraform Labs and its LUNA token. That’s why FatManTerra is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
As finance minister earlier this year he backed measures for regulating stablecoins and boldly declared he would turn the U.K. into an international hub for crypto. Now he’s prime minister and an FTX-scarred industry is watching. That’s why Rishi Sunak is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
Anticipation for a crypto bill out of the House Financial Services Committee ran so high this year that stablecoin issuers have been trying to meet the bill’s expected standards before the rules are even set. That’s why Rep. Maxine Waters and Rep. Patrick McHenry are two of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
Many nations, especially the economic superpowers, began the year in fear of being left behind by China’s relentless progress with its digital yuan. For leading the development of the most advanced major CBDC, Mu Changchun is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The spectacular success of the Merge obscured the stories of those who were left behind, the Ethereum proof-of-work miners who lost their livelihoods. One miner is not letting the crypto community ignore them. That’s why Chandler Guo is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
When 20-year-old streetwear brand The Hundreds jumped into Web3 last year, its loyal fans spent upwards of $100 million on its NFTs. This year it canceled its OpenSea drop in a principled stand for creators’ financial interests. That’s why Bobby “The Hundreds” Kim is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The brains behind Starbucks Rewards, which now counts 60 million members worldwide, is back to design Starbucks Odyssey, a Web3 loyalty program. That’s why Adam Brotman is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
Following his breakout year as an NFT artist, this 19-year old sold a generative art collection of “paint drop” NFTs for $20 million. That’s why FEWOCiOUS is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The uncanny, anime-inspired, profile pictures invite conversations about whether the sins of the creator are laid upon the creation. That’s why the Miladys NFT community is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
Words fail to describe the infamous crypto couple who allegedly laundered $4.5 billion. He’s behind bars and she’s put her raunchy rap videos on hold, but Hollywood is calling. That’s why Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein share a spot on CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The host of “Up Only” podcast has tracked the scams and issues with crypto in real time, even taking down an inside trader at Coinbase. That’s why Jordan Fish aka Cobie is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
All signs indicate India’s powerful finance minister disdains cryptocurrencies, and now she is setting the G-20 agenda for how the world’s economic powers will regulate it. That’s why Nirmala Sitharaman is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
Crypto aspires to function without monetary oversight, but this year the U.S. Federal Reserve’s chair proved how far from reality this goal is at a time of high interest rates. That’s why, once again, Jerome Powell is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The actions by the head of the $10 trillion asset manager say to the world that crypto is ready for mainstream investment. That’s why Larry Fink is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The U.S. Congress’ upper chamber has introduced a bipartisan, comprehensive crypto-responsibility bill, with another stablecoin regulations bill on its way. That’s why senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand share a spot on CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
Taking lessons from Napster, Helium Systems envisions a peer-to-peer network powered by the blockchain. Its market cap rose to $2.5 billion on hopes and promise, but has now fallen. That’s why CEO Amir Haleem is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
A pseudonymous NFT collector thinks if the metaverse is inevitable we must do what we can to avoid making it a cyberpunkian hellscape owned by Meta. That’s why Punk6529 is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
In an astonishing six months as crypto winter hobbled even well-funded crypto companies, Binance defended its position at the top of crypto exchanges and took down its $40 billion rival, FTX. That’s why Changpeng Zhao is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
Arthur Hayes has been many things to crypto over the years: a builder, a showman and a criminal. This year, as the industry collapsed, he’s been a wise commentator for the inexperienced and perplexed. That’s why he is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
As the European Commissioner for financial services, McGuinness had the mammoth task of getting the EU’s landmark Markets in Crypto Assets framework through to the finish line this year. That’s why she is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The Bourne trilogy actor’s Crypto.com ad is a stand-in for all the cringe-inducing celebrity crypto shills you wish you could unsee. That’s why Matt Damon is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The chief bankruptcy judge of the Southern District of New York is learning on the job how crypto complicates bankruptcy law. He already has his hands full with Celsius Network, but his caseload could get even bigger in 2023. That’s why Martin Glenn is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
This year alone, Nike, Starbucks, Reddit and many other consumer-focused brands have chosen to partner with Polygon Studios to create their Web3 experiences. That’s why Polygon Studios CEO Ryan Wyatt is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
Yuga Labs has grown beyond the wild success of its Bored Ape Yacht Club collection to become an NFT powerhouse with a $4 billion valuation and big plans in the metaverse. That’s why Wylie Aronow, Greg Solano and Nicole Muniz are three of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The 26-year-old president of Jump Crypto heads a DeFi juggernaut that’s building key infrastructure and cross-chain bridges, and investing in layer1 blockchains. For running on all cylinders in a year of crypto reckoning, Kanav Kariya is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The total value locked on the Solana network reached billions of dollars, based in part on sham protocols by two brothers working under multiple aliases. For showing how divorced TVL can be from the truth, Ian and Dylan Macalinao share a spot on CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The president of old media’s flagship magazine leaned into Web3 and created new divisions that are rejuvenating the 99-year-old brand. That’s why Keith Grossman is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The angel investor’s thesis of forming countries online underpins a thought-provoking bestseller and maybe a new asset class – earning him a spot on CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022 list.
In the three months since Reddit launched r/NFTsMarketplace, more users have opened wallets than all the users on top NFT marketplace OpenSea. That’s why Reddit’s new Chief Product Officer Pali Bhat is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.
The Polygon blockchain-based collection has some 3.4 million holders, all of them Reddit users.