Ambre Soubiran | CEO of Kaiko | Key provider of digital asset market data | Bridged the gap between traditional finance and crypto with reliable data services |
Ambrosus (Angel Versetti) | CEO and co-founder of Ambrosus | Innovator in blockchain for supply chain management | Developed a blockchain ecosystem for secure and transparent supply chains |
Ana Plotnikova | Former EU law enforcement, now CEO of Fideum Group | Integrates TradFi with DeFi, regulatory advocate | Bridged law enforcement and finance, emphasizing DeFi |
Anca Petre | Co-founder of 23 Consulting | Advocate for blockchain in healthcare | Pioneered blockchain applications in the healthcare industry |
Andreas M. Antonopoulos | Author and Bitcoin advocate | Educator and advocate for Bitcoin and decentralized systems | Popularized Bitcoin through education and books |
Anna Klawonn | Head of Compliance at Bitpanda | Compliance and regulatory expert in crypto exchanges | Ensured Bitpanda’s compliance with European financial regulations |
Arthur Breitman | Former quantitative analyst, co-founder of Tezos | Leading blockchain governance through Tezos | Moved from traditional finance to create a self-amending blockchain |
Bill Winters | CEO of Standard Chartered, launched crypto custody services | Spearheading crypto custody and blockchain initiatives | Transitioned from traditional banking to embrace crypto within a major financial institution |
Carlos Domingo | Former Telefonica Executive, CEO of Securitize | Pioneer in digital securities | Moved from telecom to leading a blockchain-based securities firm |
Daniel Křeček | Former CTO in traditional finance, now CTO at Tatum.io | Leading blockchain infrastructure for enterprises | Built enterprise-grade blockchain solutions |
Daniel Masters | Former JPMorgan commodities trader, now chairman of CoinShares | Driving institutional investment in digital assets | Pivoted from commodities to digital assets, leading one of Europe’s largest crypto investment firms |
David Mercer | CEO of LMAX Group, former banker | Launched the LMAX Digital crypto exchange | Pivoted from traditional FX trading to leading a major crypto exchange |
David Sønstebø | Co-founder of IOTA | Innovator in distributed ledger technology for IoT | Pioneered a blockchain alternative with Tangle technology |
Dominik Schiener | Co-founder of IOTA | Innovator in IoT and distributed ledger technology | Helped build a blockchain alternative with Tangle for IoT |
Emilie Raffo | Co-founder and COO of Irisium | Developer of market surveillance tools for digital assets | Created tools to ensure market integrity in the crypto space |
Erik Voorhees | CEO of ShapeShift | Early Bitcoin advocate, key player in decentralized exchange development | Advocated for decentralized exchanges to eliminate trust issues |
Eva Kaili | European Parliament Member, blockchain advocate | Driving EU crypto regulation | Instrumental in shaping European blockchain policies |
Francesco Filia | Former hedge fund manager, CEO of Fasanara Capital | Crypto asset manager | Shifted hedge fund strategies to include digital assets |
Gabriele Giancola | CEO of qiibee | Innovator in blockchain-based loyalty programs | Created a platform that connects blockchain with traditional loyalty systems |
Gautam Chhugani | Former banking analyst, now crypto strategist at Bernstein | Influences major institutional investments in crypto | Leveraged finance background to steer institutional crypto adoption |
Gavin Wood | Co-founder of Ethereum, founder of Polkadot | Significant contributions to blockchain scalability | Developed Polkadot to solve blockchain interoperability |
Henri Arslanian | Former PwC crypto leader, now at Nine Blocks Capital | Crypto thought leader | Left PwC to lead a hedge fund focused on digital assets |
Isabel Fernandez | Former CEO of ING Wholesale Banking, now in crypto | Developing sustainable finance through blockchain | Pivoted from traditional banking to green finance via blockchain |
Ivan Liljeqvist | Founder of Ivan on Tech Academy | Educator in blockchain and crypto technology | Created one of the largest blockchain educational platforms |
Jan Brzezek | Former UBS banker, CEO of Crypto Finance AG | Leader in digital asset management | Transitioned from UBS to pioneer crypto asset management |
Jean-Charles Cabelguen | Chief Innovation Officer at iExec | Leader in decentralized cloud computing | Pushed the boundaries of cloud computing with blockchain technology |
Jean-Michel Pailhon | VP of Ledger | Expert in cryptocurrency security solutions | Helped build Ledger into a leader in hardware wallet technology |
Jemima Kelly | Former FT journalist, now with crypto analysis | Influential in crypto journalism | Transitioned from general financial journalism to crypto analysis |
Jes Staley | Former Barclays CEO, involved in crypto ventures | Exploring blockchain integration in banking | After stepping down from Barclays, shifted focus to blockchain investments |
Jochen Biedermann | Managing Director at World Blockchain Summit | Promoter of blockchain education and networking | Organized large-scale events to connect blockchain professionals |
Jonas Schnelli | Bitcoin Core Developer | Maintains and develops Bitcoin Core software | Critical to Bitcoin’s ongoing security and development |
Julian Hosp | Co-founder of Cake DeFi | Leader in decentralized finance and crypto education | Popularized decentralized finance through his educational content and platform |
Julian Zawistowski | Founder of Golem | Pioneer in decentralized computing | Developed a decentralized platform for computing power sharing |
Julien Bouteloup | Founder of Stake Capital | Leader in DeFi and staking solutions | Promoted staking and decentralized finance protocols across Europe |
Jutta Steiner | Co-founder of Parity Technologies | Key figure in blockchain infrastructure development | Co-founded Polkadot and developed Substrate |
Katarzyna Wabik | COO at Billon | Promoter of blockchain in traditional finance | Advanced the adoption of blockchain in the Polish financial sector |
Konstantin Gladych | Co-founder of Changelly | Key figure in making crypto exchanges more accessible | Developed an instant exchange platform with a user-friendly interface |
Konstantin Richter | CEO of Blockdaemon | Advocate for blockchain infrastructure | Built a company that supports blockchain networks through node management |
Kurt Nielsen | President of Partisia Blockchain | Advocate for privacy-preserving blockchain solutions | Developed blockchain solutions that prioritize data security |
Laurent Kssis | Managing Director at 21Shares | Expert in cryptocurrency ETPs | Pioneered the development of regulated crypto investment products |
Lucian Todea | COO of Elrond | Key figure in building scalable blockchain infrastructure | Helped Elrond become a prominent blockchain platform in Europe |
Ludovic Bodin | Founder of Kalibr | Investor in early-stage blockchain startups | Focused on nurturing and funding blockchain innovation across Europe |
Marta Piekarska | Director of Ecosystem at Hyperledger | Advocate for blockchain adoption across industries | Drove blockchain standardization and adoption through her role at Hyperledger |
Matthias Woestmann | Former energy sector executive, now CEO of Windmine | Integrating renewable energy with blockchain technology | Leveraged experience in energy to merge renewable energy with blockchain |
Max Kordek | Co-founder of Lisk | Promoter of blockchain application development | Created Lisk to simplify blockchain app development for developers |
Meltem Demirors | Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares | Key figure in crypto investment and strategy | Advocates for blockchain integration into traditional finance |
Michael Geike | CEO of Advanced Blockchain AG | Innovator in blockchain applications for industry | Focused on integrating blockchain into traditional industrial sectors |
Mona El Isa | Co-founder and CEO of Avantgarde Finance | Leader in decentralized finance asset management | Transitioned from traditional finance to DeFi, focusing on automated investment strategies |
Nana Murugesan | Managing Director of International at Kraken | Expanded Kraken’s global footprint | Led Kraken’s international growth and regulatory compliance efforts |
Nejc Kodrič | Co-founder of Bitstamp | Founder of one of the longest-standing cryptocurrency exchanges | Grew Bitstamp into a leading European exchange for digital assets |
Niall Ferguson | Economic historian, now a proponent of Bitcoin and blockchain | Influential in promoting the economic case for Bitcoin | Transitioned from academia to become a leading advocate for Bitcoin |
Nicolas Cary | Co-founder of Blockchain.com | Expanded access to blockchain technology globally | Helped build one of the most widely used blockchain wallets |
Olga Feldmeier | CEO of Smart Valor | Advocate for tokenized assets and blockchain innovation | Championed the creation of a regulated platform for tokenized investments |
Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie | Former traditional finance, CEO of BCB Group | Major influence in institutional crypto services | Built BCB Group to serve the growing need for crypto banking |
Pascal Gauthier | CEO of Ledger | Leader in crypto security | Expanded Ledger’s role in securing digital assets globally |
Pavel Kravchenko | CEO of Distributed Lab | Advocate for digital identity solutions in blockchain | Developed blockchain solutions focused on digital identity and security |
Peter McCormack | Former media professional, now a prominent Bitcoin podcaster | Influential in Bitcoin education and media | Transitioned from traditional media to become one of the most recognized voices in the Bitcoin space |
Phil Zamani | CEO of Blocko | Promoter of enterprise blockchain solutions | Brought blockchain solutions to traditional industries in Europe |
Radoslav Albrecht | Founder and CEO of Bitbond | Leader in blockchain-based lending solutions | Integrated blockchain into traditional lending practices in Europe |
Richard Byworth | Former Deutsche Bank, CEO of Diginex | Leading ESG-focused crypto firm | Transitioned from Deutsche Bank to leading a sustainable digital asset firm |
Richard Muirhead | Managing Partner at Fabric Ventures | Investor in blockchain and decentralized technologies | Supported early-stage blockchain startups across Europe |
Richard Olsen | Founder of Lykke | Promoter of a decentralized approach to financial markets | Built a platform that integrates financial trading with blockchain technology |
Rune Christensen | Co-founder of MakerDAO | Major influence in stablecoins and decentralized governance | Created DAI, a decentralized stablecoin, which plays a crucial role in the DeFi ecosystem |
Sébastien Borget | Co-founder of The Sandbox | Innovator in blockchain gaming | Developed a leading platform for NFTs in gaming |
Sergey Ivancheglo | Co-founder of IOTA, former robotics engineer | Leading innovation in distributed ledger technologies | Transitioned from robotics and engineering to focus on distributed ledger technology with IOTA |
Sergey Nazarov | Co-founder of Chainlink | Innovator in decentralized oracle networks | Created a system that connects smart contracts with real-world data |
Silvio Micali | Founder of Algorand | Cryptography and blockchain pioneer | Created a blockchain platform solving the trilemma of scalability, security, and decentralization |
Simon Dixon | CEO of BnkToTheFuture | Pioneer in crypto finance and online investment platforms | Founded an investment platform focusing on fintech and crypto projects |
Stani Kulechov | Founder of Aave | Leader in DeFi and decentralized lending | Pioneered decentralized finance with Aave, a leading DeFi platform |
Stéphane Geyres | Director of European Blockchain Association | Advocate for blockchain education and adoption | Led initiatives to educate and connect stakeholders across Europe |
Thomas Zeeb | Former SIX Exchange CEO, now leading digital assets | Driving digital asset integration in traditional finance | Pushed for tokenization of assets at SIX |
Tim Grant | Former UBS banker, now head of EMEA at Galaxy Digital | Leading digital asset management in Europe | Moved from UBS to lead European operations for a major crypto investment firm |
Wladimir van der Laan | Lead maintainer of Bitcoin Core | Maintains the Bitcoin codebase, ensuring network security | Critical figure in maintaining Bitcoin’s core software |
Xavier Lavayssière | Founder of Chain Accelerator | Supporter of blockchain startups | Led a Paris-based accelerator focused on nurturing blockchain innovation |
Yves Choueifaty | Former fund manager, now CEO of TOBAM | Introduced first Bitcoin mutual fund in France | Transitioned from traditional fund management to pioneering crypto mutual funds |
Source: https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2024/09/22/top-120-digital-asset-influencers-in-europe/