Coordinating the Federal Government’s Approach to Crypto

President Joe Biden raised the hopes of the U.S. crypto industry by signing an executive order that directed federal entities to better regulate crypto. That’s why Carole House, a former White House adviser and one of the order’s chief authors, is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

The Bullied Takes the Bully to Court

David beat Goliath in an Oslo courtroom in September, establishing a legal precedent for the freedom to say a self-proclaimed inventor of Bitcoin is not actually the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. That’s why Magnus Granath (aka Hodlonaut) and Craig Wright share a spot on CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022 list.

The ‘Crocodile of Wall Street’ and Her Husband Face Trial

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 Everyman of Crypto Twitter

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.

He Who Should Not Have an Impact on Crypto

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.

Reality Sticks a Pin in His Hot-Air Dreams

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.

The Punk Fighting for an Open Metaverse

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.

And Then There Was One

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.

Crypto’s Virgil Through the Market Hellscape

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.

Looks Who’s Taking a Crash Course in Crypto Bankruptcy

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.

Empire of the Bored Apes

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.

Betting on a Decentralized, Cross-Chain Crypto Future

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.