1. Changpeng Zhao
2. Sam Altman
3. Sam Bankman-Fried
4. Brian Armstrong
5. Gary Gensler
6. Pavel Durov
7. Brad Garlinghouse
8. Barry Silbert
9. Alexey Glukhovsky
10. Balaji Srinivasan
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In 2023, we saw a rise in Bitcoin prices, high-profile court cases, opposition from the industry and US regulators, as well as stories of successes and failures.
The editors of Incrypted analyzed the past 12 months and compiled a list of people who had the greatest impact on the industry.
The now former head of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), has been the talk of the community throughout his entire career.. He successfully survived the crypto winter and managed to build a company that became one of the industry leaders.
Under CZ’s leadership, the exchange has built a strong business. It turned out to be so resistant to shocks that even a trial with the US authorities, a fine of $4.3 billion and the departure of the CEO could not shake it.
However, every success story sooner or later comes to an end. 2023 marked CZ’s final phase as head of Binance. Ahead of him lies a legal battle in the United States, a possible “immersion” in the field of biotechnology and other events. We, in turn, will note his undeniable influence on the industry and everything connected with it.
Another person who has been attracting media and public attention for several years is OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman.
The outgoing year stands out against the general background with several events related to the entrepreneur.. The sudden dismissal and return to the chair of the head of OpenAI, the final transformation of the company into a technology giant worth $80 billion – these are just a couple of moments associated with Altman.
Let us note the active work of the Worldcoin project and the work of the businessman as an investor.
It is also worth saying that the entrepreneur became the Person of the Year according to TIME magazine. Journalists described him as a “prophet of the technological revolution.”
“Created as a non-profit laboratory, OpenAI has grown into a real “rocket” worth $80 billion.. Altman is one of the most influential and admired leaders in the world and a leader of public opinion,” the magazine said in a note.
All this allows us to say with confidence that Sam Altman deservedly makes it onto the list of people of the year according to Incrypted.
The founder of the FTX crypto exchange and Alameda Research, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), has become one of the most talked-about personalities in the industry this past year.. The collapse of a leading industry player in 2022 led to billions of losses and events that predetermined the further development of the digital assets sector.
Throughout 2023, the community followed several legal proceedings in one way or another related to SBF. The bankruptcy case of FTX and Alameda Research, according to analysts, has forced the authorities of many countries to take a stricter approach to cryptocurrencies.
As for SBF itself, his legal saga continues, and its results may have long-term consequences both for himself and for the industry as a whole. Naturally included in the list of iconic people of the year according to Incrypted.
Brian Armstrong-founded cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has become one of the main beneficiaries of the market recovery in 2023. Its shares rose 348% in 12 months.. The entrepreneur himself actively promoted the digital assets industry both on the business scene and in the political direction.
For example, in December 2023, it became known that Coinbase, together with other market players, allocated $78 million to support pro-cryptocurrency candidates for US President. Armstrong personally participated in the Fairshake political action committee initiative as an investor.
At the same time, the business component of its activities deserves special attention. In 2023, Coinbase, according to Kaiko analysts, managed to strengthen its position in the industry, taking advantage of Binance’s dispute with the US authorities.
At the same time, the company expanded its international expansion and received licenses to operate in various states.. Coinbase launched spot trading outside the US in December. All this resulted in a significant increase in the company’s shares, which at one point reached a 20-month high.
For his management skills, competent business management and support for the industry as a whole, Brian Armstrong is included in the list of persons of the year.
The only representative of American authorities on our list and one of the most talked about people of 2023. The Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is Gary Gensler.
The official headed the agency in 2021, but it was the past 12 months that are associated with the dawn of SEC activity in relation to cryptocurrency companies.
In 2023, under Gensler’s leadership, the department filed 784 lawsuits, including more than 500 individual cases. As a result, the court made decisions totaling about $5 billion, of which $930 million was distributed among the affected investors.
The SEC brought fraud charges against a number of industry players during the year.. In particular, Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon; Richard Hurt and the three projects he controls – Hex, PulseChain and PulseX; Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives.
In parallel with this, the SEC, under the leadership of Gensler, took part in other litigation related to large industry organizations: Grayscale, Ripple, Kraken, and so on.
We must also not forget that the optimistic forecasts for the growth of Bitcoin, which are now being voiced by many analysts and companies, are directly related to the potential approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs by the SEC.
As for Gary Gensler’s personal opinion regarding the digital asset industry, he has voiced it several times during his speeches.
“Cryptocurrency is plagued by fraud, bankruptcy and money laundering. Investors and issuers in this space should be afforded the protections afforded by securities laws,” Gensler said at the Securities Enforcement Forum.
One way or another, the figure of the head of the SEC had a global impact on the cryptocurrency market in 2023. For this, Gary Gensler takes his place in the list of persons of the year according to Incrypted.
At first glance, it may seem that Pavel Durov did not spend enough time on the front pages of news publications to be included in our list. However, the creator of the Telegram messenger is actively promoting the development of blockchain technologies.
In 2023, Telegram interacted closely with the digital asset industry, and the integration of a wallet based on The Open Network (TON) was widely discussed by the community.
Separately, it is worth noting the widespread use of Telegram bots in various blockchain projects. They allow the digital assets sector to gain access to the messenger’s multi-million audience.
At the same time, Durov admitted that he invests in Bitcoin and TON. According to the entrepreneur, he does not want to “own” anything, but invests his funds in Telegram bonds and digital assets.
“Hundreds of millions of people signed up for Telegram because they wanted an independent messaging platform that put users first.. It is my duty—and my life’s work—to continue to develop it,” Durov said in July 2023.
For close interaction with the crypto industry and the constant development of the Telegram project, Pavel Durov is included in the list of persons of the year.
Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse and his team managed to achieve a historic victory over the SEC in court in 2023.
Representatives of the company defended their case and demonstrated to the entire industry that the Commission can be resisted in the legal field.
Southern District of New York Judge Analysa Torres’ ruling that the sale of the XRP token through exchanges or distributions does not constitute an offering of securities proved to be a turning point for Ripple Labs. This decision also became a useful precedent for the industry, helping to determine the rules of the game in the US crypto market.
Immediately after the victory over the SEC, the price of XRP soared by almost 30%, and in annual terms, the asset’s growth exceeded 75%, according to TradingView. This restoration of previously lost positions led to a “renaissance of the company,” whose token was re-listed by many cryptocurrency exchanges.
In October 2023, it also became known that the SEC had withdrawn claims against Garlinghouse and another top manager of Ripple, executive chairman Christian Larsen..
At the same time, the company continues to expand its ecosystem. For example, in May 2023, Ripple Labs announced the creation of a platform for the development of CBDC and stablecoins. In addition, the company acquired the Swiss startup Metaco for $250 million, and at the end of the year, the Central Bank of Ireland added Ripple to the register of virtual asset service providers (VASP).
For his historic victory over the SEC and skillful management of the company during a crisis period, Brad Garlinghouse is included in the list of persons of the year according to our editors.
In 2023, the consequences of the crypto winter overtook the Digital Currency Group (DCG) conglomerate, one of the largest representatives of the digital assets industry.. The founder of the company, Barry Silbert, along with his structure, came under pressure from former partners, US authorities and the public.
At the beginning of the year, DCG suspended dividend payments due to the Genesis crisis. This marked the beginning of a troubled period for the conglomerate, as creditors filed suit against Digital Currency Group and Barry Silbert personally.
In November 2023, it became known that DCG had entered into an agreement with Genesis to terminate the $620 million lawsuit.. However, the conglomerate’s problems did not end there, as the US Attorney’s Office intervened in the situation a month before the dispute was settled.
The agency filed a lawsuit against Gemini, Genesis, DCG and Barry Silbert on suspicion of $1 billion fraud.. It is alleged that about 230,000 investors were affected, including 29,000 New Yorkers.
At the time of writing it is impossible to predict the impact of the legal proceedings on DCG and Barry Silbert. However, his constant presence in the information field and global processes affecting the entire crypto industry allow the founder of Digital Currency Group to be on the list of iconic people of 2023.
Representatives of the Ukrainian community will not stand aside in 2023. As you know, Matter Labs is behind the development of the zkSync L2 solution. One of its founders is Ukrainian Alexey Glukhovsky, and the startup itself originated in Kyiv.
From a small promising project, it has grown into a large company developing the first EVM-compatible second-level solution based on ZK rollups for Ethereum.
Over the past year, Matter Labs has significantly strengthened its position in the industry. In May 2023, it became known that the company had hired a former Activision Blizzard executive to implement zkSync’s gaming plans, which is a kind of demonstration of its ambitions and strategy.
The zkSync team is actively collaborating with other projects and developing. The Derivio and Uniswap V3 protocols, the PancakeSwap crypto exchange and the Aave and 1inch projects announced integrations with the platform in 2023.
In parallel with this, Matter Labs is working on the social component, holding various events that cover the Web3 direction. For example, in November 2023, the zkSync team organized a Ukrainian community meetup in Warsaw.
Thus, Alexey Glukhovsky and his Matter Labs deservedly make it into the list of persons of the year according to Incrypted.
Few people know that the concept of “angel” from the financial sector originated in the theatrical environment of New York at the beginning of the 20th century.. This activity was initially associated with risky investments, since the patron benefited from the investment only if the production was successful.
Something similar is happening in the modern digital asset industry.. And in 2023 she has her own angel, whose name is familiar to many members of the community – Balaji Srinivasan.
Indian-American entrepreneur, co-founder of Counsyl and former CTO of Coinbase. The former general partner of the Andreessen Horowitz venture capital fund, the author of the best-selling book “The Network State,” and also a well-known investor are all Srinivasan’s personalities.
In 2023, in addition to his “angel” activities, the entrepreneur was noted for his sensational dispute over the price of Bitcoin. In mid-March, Srinivasan made a bet with a certain James Medlock on the social network X (formerly Twitter). The former executive director of the exchange argued that the United States is on the verge of hyperinflation, and in June the BTC rate will “break the ceiling” of $1 million.
It all ended with Srinivasan admitting his loss ahead of schedule and sending $500,000 to Bitcoin developers and the charity Give Directly. His opponent received another $500,000.
As for investment activities, the entrepreneur invested in blockchain projects such as Celestia and Iron Fish in 2023, according to CryptoRank.
Let us remind you that we previously presented an annual report on fundraising (add the link when posting the article in the admin panel)
It will be interesting
