In today’s digital era where the cryptocurrency industry has become bigger than ever, anyone who has the means to hold crypto tokens can do so. But not everyone can have the impact as the most influential people in the industry.
The gigantic industry you know today wouldn’t be where it is today in terms of popularity and success if it weren’t for them. Keep on reading here at Casino Days India to discover the big names in cryptocurrency!
Changpeng Zhao
Binance is currently the largest trading platform in the world in terms of trading volume thanks to its robust selection of trading options. Now, it’s among the biggest institutions in the industry and none of this would’ve been possible without Changpeng Zhao, the founder and current CEO of the successful exchange.
Before Zhao became the founder of the most successful exchange site in the crypto market, he was a college student at McGill University in Montreal where he was majoring in Computer Science. He has proven his resilience early on by working several service jobs including flipping burgers at fast-food chains which is a far cry from where he is today.
Today, Changpeng Zhao continues to innovate Binance by introducing new technologies with one of the most notable ones in recent years being the Binance Card, the firm’s own debit card.
Vitalik Buterin
If you’re holding cryptocurrencies or even just remotely familiar with the industry, chances are, you’ve heard about Vitalik Buterin. That’s because he’s the co-founder of one of the biggest decentralised, open-source blockchains in the world, Ethereum.
Buterin was born in a small town in Russia called Kolomna and at an early age, he already showed interest in mathematics and more impressively, computer science.
Before his genius work on what would be one of the largest digital currency ecosystems in the industry, Buterin co-founded the Bitcoin Magazine back in 2011 when he was only 17. This magazine is considered the first form of publication that solely covered everything going on in the crypto industry.
Fast forward to today, Ethereum has allowed thousands of developers to create decentralised applications (dApps) and smart contracts that would eventually become important in the crypto industry.
Nayib Bukele
When El Salvador’s current Interim President Nayib Bukele announced in 2021 that Bitcoin is to become a legal tender in the country, he took a huge step toward the digital revolution. This move immediately became one of the biggest moments in the industry as it showed how crypto is becoming legitimate in the eyes of governments.
Moreover, it led Bukele to instantly become one of the most influential big names in cryptocurrency as he will always be remembered as the first President who made Bitcoin a means of payment in an entire country.
However, this decision wasn’t made to gain fame in the crypto world as Bukele is also known to be familiar with the latest technology which means he was into cryptocurrencies before making the decision. Additionally, he made Bitcoin a legal tender after noticing that several locals from El Salvador don’t have bank accounts.
Gargamel and Gordon Goner (Pseudonyms)
The continuous evolution of cryptocurrencies led to the invention of various decentralised apps, smart contracts and more. Among the most popular ones to emerge from this trend are non-fungible tokens or NFTs.
These are unique pieces of digital artwork often purchased using crypto tokens. Millions of artworks have been introduced to the public but one of the most popular collections was the Bored Ape Yacht Club or BAYC for short.
This collection of iconic NFTs was technically created by Yuga Labs and the people behind this were friends Gargamel and Gordon Goner (pseudonyms). The BAYC played a huge role in popularising NFTs in the market to the point where it transcended into pop culture. You’ll immediately recognise an artwork from this collection because of their iconic apes with each one featuring a unique design.
Elon Musk
One entrepreneur with a huge influence over the crypto industry because of his huge following is Elon Musk. Although he hasn’t invented anything related to cryptocurrencies, his social media presence and posts regarding crypto tokens, particularly Dogecoin, affected its market trajectory.
Elon Musk displayed a talent for computers at an early age and this led him to become one of the most innovative and influential entrepreneurs in the current generation. Today, he owns and operates SpaceX, a space exploration company and Tesla, an electric automotive company.
Sam Bankman-Fried
One impressive individual who’s already had a huge influence in the crypto market at an early age is Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and current CEO of Alameda Research and FTX.
Alameda Research made a huge splash in the industry when it became part of the leading principal trading firms that use crypto expertise to trade various assets including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Ripple (XRP) and other altcoins.
On the other hand, founding FTX also impacted crypto traders greatly as it turned out to become among the most reliable exchange sites in existence. Plenty of reasons contribute to this fact but mainly, it is because of the several investment markets FTX offers including futures, leveraged tokens, volatility products and more. Plus, they also have leveraged tokens which were quite rare before.
Being only in his 20s and having this kind of impact on a gigantic and roaring industry-led Bankman-Fried to be included in Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’ list in 2021. This list featured some of the brightest entrepreneurs of that specific year who are under 30 years old.
Learning from crypto’s most influential people
From inventing the most successful trading platforms to being the president of the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender, each move that these people made has greatly impacted cryptocurrencies today. The crypto industry that the public knows and loves today wouldn’t be the same without the contributions from the big names in cryptocurrency.