1. Satoshi Nakamoto
Identity/Title: The anonymous creator of Bitcoin, author of the white paper.
Influence Summary: As the founding figure of the cryptocurrency industry, Satoshi Nakamoto has been silent since 2011, but the concept of a decentralized peer-to-peer cash system he created is the cornerstone of the entire industry. No matter the year, Satoshi Nakamoto is the undisputed number one influential figure.
2. Vitalik Buterin (also known as 'V God')
Identity/Title: Co-founder of Ethereum.
Influence Summary: He expanded blockchain from merely a monetary attribute to a smart contract platform, initiating the era of decentralized applications (DApps). Ethereum serves as the infrastructure for DeFi, NFTs, and the vast majority of Web3 innovations. The concept of Ethereum he proposed around 2014 fundamentally changed the industry landscape.
3. Changpeng Zhao (known as 'CZ')
Identity/Title: Founder and former CEO of Binance.
Influence Summary (Special Attention 2017 & 2023): CZ founded Binance during the bull market of 2017, turning it into the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange in just six months, maintaining its unshakable position to this day. He transformed the exchange from a mere matching platform to an ecosystem builder. He created the platform token (BNB) economic model, pioneered the IEO (Launchpad) fundraising model, and launched Binance Smart Chain (BSC), while also establishing a deep moat in the derivatives field.
Although he stepped down as CEO in 2023 due to regulatory pressure, his impact on the industry's ecology and liquidity is phenomenal.
4. Brian Armstrong
Identity/Title: Co-founder and CEO of Coinbase.
Influence Summary (Special Attention Post-2014): After the Mt. Gox collapse in 2014 sparked a crisis of trust in the industry, Brian dedicated himself to building compliant and secure trading gateways. Coinbase later became the first publicly listed cryptocurrency company in the U.S. and is the most important compliant bridge connecting traditional finance and the crypto world.
5. Jihan Wu
Identity/Title: Co-founder of Bitmain, currently the founder of Matrixport.
Influence Summary: The first person to translate the Bitcoin white paper into Chinese and the former leader of BITMAIN, the world's largest mining machine manufacturer. Jihan Wu played a central role in the Bitcoin fork debate in 2017 (block size war) and was a key supporter of Bitcoin Cash (BCH), wielding significant influence over the Bitcoin network's hash power.
6. Michael Saylor
Identity/Title: Executive Chairman and Co-founder of MicroStrategy.
Influence Summary (Special Attention 2020): Against the backdrop of global central banks' massive monetary easing in 2020, he led the publicly traded company MicroStrategy to make a large-scale purchase of Bitcoin as a reserve asset, initiating a wave of institutional investors allocating cryptocurrency, and becoming one of the strongest advocates for the narrative of Bitcoin as 'digital gold.'
7. Hayden Adams @haydenzadams
Identity/Title: Inventor and Founder of Uniswap.
Influence Summary (Special Attention 2020): He created the automated market maker (AMM) protocol Uniswap, directly igniting the 'DeFi Summer' of 2020. His innovation made decentralized trading feasible and efficient, marking him as a milestone figure in the decentralized finance space.
8. Larry Fink @BlackRock
Identity/Title: Chairman and CEO of BlackRock.
Influence Summary (Special Attention 2023): As the leader of the world's largest asset management company, he changed his stance in 2023 and actively promoted the application for a Bitcoin spot ETF. This move marked Wall Street's mainstream finance finally embracing cryptocurrency, opening the door for a massive influx of capital.
9. Barry Silbert @BarrySilbert
Identity/Title: Founder of Digital Currency Group.
Influence Summary: Founder of Digital Currency Group, DCG is a cryptocurrency giant spanning investment, trading, media, and mining.
He pioneered Grayscale trust products, which allow traditional institutional investors to invest in Bitcoin and other mainstream assets indirectly through regulated financial instruments without directly holding cryptocurrency. Silbert is the key driving force behind pushing Bitcoin from a geek experiment to a mainstream financial asset on Wall Street.
10. Paolo Ardoino @paoloardoino
Identity/Title: CEO of Tether (USDT) and CTO of Bitfinex.
Influence Summary: He manages the largest stablecoin USDT in the world. Regardless of market bull or bear, USDT is the cornerstone of liquidity in the entire cryptocurrency market and the main unit of account. His management and decision-making regarding the stablecoin reserves directly affect the market's stability and confidence.
