Howard Lutnick: Tether’s Big Backer
The CEO of prominent bond broker Cantor Fitzgerald played a major role in validating Tether this year by vouching for its reserves.
Evan Cheng: The Architect of Sui’s Object-Oriented Revolution
Sui is re-thinking what blockchains can be. And this year, many of Wall Street’s largest institutions are taking note.
Eric Semler: Following MicroStrategy’s Lead
The chairman of Semler Scientific underscored that buying bitcoin was not just for digital asset companies.
Cynthia Lummis: Laser-Eyed Lawmaker
The Wyoming senator has been a major crypto supporter since joining Congress in 2021. Now she’s the leading advocate for creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
Matthew Long: The UK’s Crypto Gatekeeper
Under Long, the Financial Conduct Authority has been slow to approve crypto firms operating in the UK. Impending new rules may change that, however.
Patrick McHenry: The Lawmaker Who Built a Foundation for U.S. Crypto Legislation
The outgoing chair of the House Financial Services Committee deserves significant credit for getting the FIT21 market structure bill through the House in 2024.
Balaji Srinivasan: Spreading the Network State
With renewing public institutions on the agenda, the Network State could be an idea whose time has come. If so, Srinivasan will again have been prescient.
Brian Nelson: Leading the Charge Against Tornado Cash
As a U.S. Treasury official, Nelson went after the asset mixing service in a consequential case for the crypto sector that came to a head in 2024.
Pavel Durov: Free Speech Hero Against the State
The Telegram founder’s short stay in a French prison this summer was a free speech inflection point.
Steve Yun: Driving Web3 Adoption Via Telegram
The president of the TON Foundation has millions tapping their phones to earn crypto.