Top 10 Most Influential Figures in Crypto Heading Into 2025

After a stellar 2024, we are moving into a new year with greater expectations and stronger enthusiasm. As we enter 2025, there are some key voices that will have a lot of influence on this trillion-dollar market and will help you better understand it as well as prepare for what's to come.

Here's our list of the ten most influential individuals that hold sway over crypto heading into 2025.

1. Andreas Antonopoulos

Our list starts with industry veteran Andreas M. Antonopoulos, who most new crypto entrants may not know much about, but with Bitcoin hogging all the limelight and institutional flows, we must go back to our roots, and that takes us to this technologist and serial entrepreneur who's a well-known and well-respected figure in the Bitcoin space.

Antonopoulos has been involved with Bitcoin for over a decade, helping people learn and understand the world's largest cryptocurrency by making complex subjects accessible.

A public speaker, podcaster, advisor, and author, Antonopoulos has published over 200 articles and created a vast amount of YouTube content covering distributed networks, cryptography, security, and more. His focus is on educating the masses about Bitcoin and advancing crypto adoption.

2. Larry Fink

The CEO of the world's largest asset manager, BlackRock (BLK +0.34%), now holds a lot of power, too, given that his firm dominates the Bitcoin Spot ETF flow. Fink is a fresh face in the crypto sector who has changed his views on Bitcoin in recent years.

3. Donald Trump

This year, President-elect Donald Trump will not only influence the US and the world but also crypto on a large scale. As Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20, the crypto market needs to keep a close eye on all he says and does for the next four years.

4. Vitalik Buterin

While Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, is pseudonymous, no one knows the identity of the person behind the world's largest cryptocurrency or their whereabouts; this is not the case with Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency, which pioneered smart contracts and enabled decentralized applications (dApps).

5. Anatoly Yakovenko

Ethereum dominated the last two cycles with new projects popping on it daily. However, this time, it's Solana that's leading the market momentum and development. So, naturally, our list of crypto influencers includes its co-founder, Anatoly Yakovenko.

6. Brian Armstrong

The CEO of the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, Brian Armstrong, has been leading the charge in crypto adoption and innovation. Before co-founding Coinbase (COIN +5.23%) back in 2012 with Fred Ehrsam, Armstrong worked as a developer at IBM, a consultant at Deloitte, and a software engineer at Airbnb.

7. Michael Saylor

It's no surprise that MicroStrategy (MSTR +13.22%) co-founder Michael Saylor continues to be one of the most influential figures in the Bitcoin space. After all, he has become a staunch supporter of the crypto king, taking every opportunity to buy BTC.

8. Cynthia Lummis

The Wyoming Senator is the leading voice behind the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, but Cynthia Lummis' (R-WY) love and support for the digital gold isn't newly found. In fact, she first bought Bitcoin back in 2013, so she's among the earliest BTC adopters.

9. Elon Musk

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is a self-proclaimed “Dogefather“ who has sent the prices of meme coins like Dogecoin surging simply by posting about them on X (previously Twitter). Musk's love for Doge actually got him appointed as the co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E), whose focus will be on cutting costs.

10. Cathie Wood

Bitcoin has reached a six-figure value, but Ark Invest's CEO believes it still remains in the “early innings.“ Cathie Wood is clearly a Bitcoin bull who wants to see the industry go upwards. But she's not new to this game. Wood first shared her belief in Bitcoin, which she said “could be as big as the Internet,“ about a decade ago.