Kamal Reader

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.