The cryptocurrency revolution has seen a new breed of leaders emerge to guide this burgeoning industry through periods of unprecedented growth and volatility. These visionaries spotted potential where others saw only complexity, understanding that decentralised digital assets had the power to reshape finance and transform how we transfer value across borders.
While still in its early stages, crypto has already begun disrupting established economic orders and empowering individuals with new means of exchange free from standard fiat controls.
Those who have risen to steer crypto’s evolution through both bull and bear cycles deserve recognition as the pioneering figures who made this technology accessible and helped move the cryptocurrency ecosystem from an intriguing idea to a global financial force.
Here are 10 leaders who have reigned over crypto’s formative years, leaving an indelible mark and helping bring the decentralised future closer to reality through their insight, dedication, and willingness to bet big on blockchain’s potential to change the world.
| Crypto Leaders | Crypto Leaders |
|---|---|
| 01. Shytoshi Kusama and Kaal Daariya | 06. Ola Doudin |
| 02. Richard Teng | 07. Andres Meneses |
| 03. Star Xu | 08. Karan Gandhi |
| 04. Bijan Alizadeh | 09. Carl Runefelt |
| 05. Vineet Budki | 10. Jordan Kerridge |
Rank: 01
Name: Shytoshi Kusama and Kaal Daariya
Designation: Lead Developers
Company: Shiba Inu
They have become two of the world’s biggest and most famous Crypto stars – though nobody knows their real names or what they look like, with the duo permanently masked. In the space of just three years, Kusama has become an elusive crypto stars on the planet.
The crypto meme coin Shiba Inu, which he is the lead developer of, has fluctuated in valuations between $10 billion and $41 billion. In 10 months from January 2021 to October 2021, the price of the decentralised Ethereum-based token SHIB rose by 27,000,000 percent. Yes, you read that right – 27 million percent.
The masterplan of creating a crypto meme coin run by its own community – the ShibArmy – has attracted an estimated 50 million recruits, while its real leaders continue to remain anonymous. His right-hand man Kaal Dhairya, is widely seen as the industry’s greatest-ever tech genius.
The one-time Uber driver in Los Angeles and part-time food delivery courier in New York, Kusama and Dhairya, are now leading the number two most traded cryptocurrency in 2023, second only to Bitcoin. Shiba Inu is believed to be the largest decentralised community in the world, and its X account has just under three million followers.
Rank: 02
Name: Richard Teng
Designation: CEO
Company: Binance
Richard Teng is an experienced executive with over three decades of financial services and regulatory experience. As the Regional Head of MENA at Binance, he leads the team to secure strategic partnerships, foster an ecosystem of innovation, and expand the regional cryptocurrency ecosystem. He became CEO in November last year.
By working closely with policymakers, regulators, and industry players, Richard is furthering business growth in a compliant and sustainable manner. Prior to joining Binance, Richard was the CEO of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) where he showcased his capabilities as one of the world’s foremost innovative regulators.
Richard’s vast experience also includes being the Chief Regulatory Officer of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and the Director of Corporate Finance in the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Richard received his Masters in Applied Finance from the University of Western Australia.
Rank: 03
Name: Star Xu
Designation: Founder
Company: OKX
Star Xu is the founder and CEO of OKCoin, the largest global Bitcoin exchange. At a very young age, he managed to work at Yahoo as an engineer. Shortly after, he became the Chief Technical Officer at DocIn.com. After gaining an interest in Bitcoin in 2012 and using some of the existing exchanges at the time, he believed he could offer a better service and founded OKCoin in June 2013.
His technical expertise and optimism about the future of Bitcoin has led him to build up a team of over 150 professionals. Star received his Master’s Degree in Mathematics and Physics from Renmin University, one of China’s most prestigious institutions.
Rank: 04
Name: Bijan Alizadeh
Description: CEO
Company: Phoenix Group
As one of the founding fathers of the crypto industry in the Middle East, Bijan Alizadeh has spent over a decade pushing the boundaries of what was once deemed impossible. As Co-Founder and Group CEO of Phoenix Group, a pioneering crypto mining and infrastructure company based in the UAE, Alizadeh’s journey exemplifies the perseverance and vision required to established new industries.
Alizadeh’s curiosity was piqued after receiving his first cryptocurrency payment for a transaction. Intrigued by the revolutionary technology underlying digital currencies, he spent hours educating himself on blockchain and decentralised networks. His conviction in this new paradigm led him to co-found Phoenix Group in 2017 alongside business partner Munaf Ali, with the goal of establishing one of the region’s first cryptocurrency mining facilities.
Their early 1-megawatt mining operation in the UAE was a humble start, but it served as the testing ground that would lay the foundation for Phoenix’s exponential growth. As Bitcoin’s price surged, Phoenix expanded aggressively by securing equipment and power supplies. Today, the company operates some of the world’s largest and most sustainable cryptocurrency mining facilities.
Rank: 05
Name: Vineet Budki
Designation: Managing Partner and CEO
Company: Cypher Capital
Cypher Capital is the best-known Crypto Native VC out of UAE which was highlighted recently by Wu Blockchain as a Top 3 Crypto Venture Fund Globally and has been a Top 5 Web 3 Gaming VC as well.
Cypher Capital boasts a remarkable 45 times return on capital across over 100 ventures in its last fund, with investments ranging from $250,000 to $1 million and overseeing more than 100+ assets, The current fund is a 100Mn$ Single LP fund seeded by Bijan Alizadeh – Founder Phoenix Technology.
Budki has become a prominent player in the global blockchain and cryptocurrency landscape, having led investments in over 300+ blockchain start-ups, including well-known names like Mysten Labs (Sui), Berachain, Solana, Ton, Revolving Studios, Web3Auth, Particle Network, Kelp Dao, My Pet Hooligan, Manta Network and many other game-changing blockchain startups.
The most visible Crypto VC globally, Vineet has shared his insights on venture capital in the blockchain space at several notable global forums, including Eth Denver, Consensus by Coindesk, Austin, Token 2049 in Singapore; the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos; Binance Blockchain Week Turkey, Proof of Talk Paris, Algorand Summit Barcelona; the Future Blockchain Summit and the Global Blockchain Congress in Dubai.
Vineet has also been prominently featured in Global podcasts like Coindesk, Kitco News, Wolf of All Streets, Washington Elite, and Web3TV among others.
Rank: 06
Name: Ola Doudin
Designation: Co-founder and CEO
Company: BitOasis
Doudin purchased her first ever Bitcoin in 2013, and by October 2015, she launched the Dubai-based startup BitOasis, an online wallet and exchange that is the first to use multi-signature technology to protect digital assets.
Since its launch in 2016, BitOasis has provided brokerage services to over 700,000 customers and today, boasts over 60 cryptocurrencies and customers in 14 countries across the MENA region. In 2021, BitOasis became the first crypto platform in the UAE to be registered with the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit (Go-AML platform).
In May 2023, BitOasis secured an MVP Operational License from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), as the first virtual asset broker-dealer and trading platform to have received an MVP Operational License under VARA’s regulatory framework.
Rank: 07
Name: Andres Meneses
Designation: Chairman
Company: OG Media Group
A serial entrepreneur and chairman of OG Media Group, he has become a leading figure in the crypto and Web3 industries. Boasting over 3 million followers across social media platforms, including 50K on the largest crypto streaming platform, Binance Live, Andres has made a significant impact in the crypto world.
He was named Influencer of the Year at the Middle East Blockchain Awards in 2022 and secured the title of Web 3 Podcast of the Year at AIBC 2023. He is also the lead podcast host on Binance Live, a Binance Feed Pioneer, and a renowned contributor to CoinTelegraph Spain.
Menese spearheaded the “Trade Like a Pro” initiative with OKX, achieving widespread recognition on social media across 100+ countries through the partnership with Crypto OGs podcast and OKX, showcasing real-life success stories and pioneering advancements in entertainment, Web3 technology, and global connectivity.
To his many fans, he represents the essence of Web3, Crypto, and Content Creation, merged into one.
Rank: 08
Name: Karan Gandhi
Designation: Investor
Karan Gandhi is a seasoned investment professional with over a decade of experience in Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Banking. Currently, Karan is an Investment Director at Cypher Capital, one of the UAE’s largest multi-strategy crypto investment firms.
Karan’s expertise extends beyond Web3 investments; he is an avid enthusiast of decentralised economies, token utility mechanisms, blockchain infrastructure, and consumer tech. Karan has shared his insights on Blockchain and Web3 at prominent events such as GITEX, Future Blockchain Summit, and Blockdown Festival.
Additionally, he has served as a jury member for startup pitches at the World Blockchain Summit, AIBC Startup Day, and TRON Hackathons. Before venturing into Web3, Karan was a senior venture architect, developing tech startups for the largest licensing authority in the UAE.
His extensive experience in scaling startups has allowed him to advise numerous tech companies on fundraising, business models, and market strategies. Academically, Karan is a CFA charter holder and holds an accountancy degree from Heriot-Watt University.
Rank: 09
Name: Carl Runefelt
Designation: Investor
Carl Runefelt, also known as “The Moon,” is an accomplished serial entrepreneur with a keen interest in Web3 startups. With investments in over 400 of these ventures, he has established himself as one of the world’s foremost crypto angel investors. Recognised for his contributions, Carl has been featured in prestigious publications such as FOX Business, Forbes US, CNBC, Business Insider, and Coin Telegraph.
In addition to his investments, Carl is the founder of cryptojobs.com, a renowned speaker, a respected philanthropist, and an esteemed expert in blockchain technology. His profound knowledge and insights have garnered him a substantial following on social media, where he wields considerable influence. Boasting more than 4 million followers on platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, Carl is poised to lead the charge in driving the widespread adoption of blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies.
Rank: 10
Name: Jordan Kerridge
Designation: Founder
Company: Crypto Saving Expert
Jordan Kerridge is a serial Crypto Entrepreneur and Investor having founded Crypto Saving Expert one of the largest crypto education platforms alongside his growing presence on YouTube where he has been making videos about Crypto since 2016. He has invested in over 400 crypto startups influencing them to success.
He has a following of over 700,000 people across social media under the moniker “That Martini Guy” and recently founded a professional race team Mahiki Racing where he competes in Fanatec GT World Series European GT4 and British GT where the final round of the Championship is being held at Jeddah Saudi Arabia in November. His business ethic is simple, you must take risks to get rewards but respect the risk, just like in racing.
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