10 Influential Women in the Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Industry

Meltem Demirors

Meltem Demirors is the Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares, a leading financial services firm based in London and New York that specializes in alternative assets, including cryptocurrencies. She also hosts a popular weekly podcast and organizes the annual Crypto Springs conference in Palm Springs.

Elizabeth Stark

Elizabeth Stark is a prominent entrepreneur, educator, and passionate advocate for an open and decentralized internet. She is the co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs, a pioneering company developing the Lightning Network — a second-layer protocol that significantly increases the scalability and efficiency of the Bitcoin blockchain. ⚡

Beyond her leadership at Lightning Labs, Stark is deeply involved in the broader crypto policy landscape. She serves as a fellow at Coin Center, one of the most influential non-profit organizations focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain public policy. 🏛️

Elizabeth also contributes her expertise as an advisor to the Chia Network, a blockchain platform that leverages proof-of-space-and-time to provide a more energy-efficient alternative to traditional cryptocurrencies. 🌱

With a background in law and technology, Stark has taught at institutions like Yale and Stanford, and continues to be a vocal supporter of privacy, decentralization, and innovation in the digital economy. 👩‍🏫🌐

Cathie Wood

Catherine "Cathie" Wood is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of ARK Invest, a leading investment management firm known for its focus on disruptive innovation. Under her visionary leadership, ARK Invest specializes exclusively in identifying and investing in transformative technologies, including artificial intelligence, DNA sequencing, robotics, energy storage, and blockchain. 📈🚀

As CIO and Portfolio Manager, Cathie Wood played a pivotal role in shaping ARK’s unique investment philosophy, which is centered on long-term growth opportunities within public equity markets. Her forward-thinking approach has earned her widespread recognition as a trailblazer in the financial industry, especially among investors seeking exposure to next-generation technologies. 💡📊

Cathie has been an outspoken advocate for digital assets, particularly Bitcoin and blockchain innovation. She was one of the earliest institutional supporters of Bitcoin, frequently highlighting its role as a decentralized, deflationary asset with long-term value potential. Through ARK’s research and investment strategies, she has contributed to increasing institutional awareness and adoption of crypto technologies. ₿🔗

With decades of experience in portfolio management and a passion for innovation, Cathie Wood continues to inspire a new generation of investors and remains at the forefront of disruptive finance. 🌍💼

Caitlin Long

Caitlin Long is a well-known blockchain advocate and financial reformer who currently serves as the President of WyoHackathon — a prominent blockchain-focused event that brings together developers, entrepreneurs, and established companies to foster innovation and collaboration in the digital asset space. 🧑‍💻🚀

With a deep passion for decentralized finance, Caitlin has been a Bitcoin and blockchain enthusiast since 2012, making her one of the earliest institutional voices in support of cryptocurrency and distributed ledger technologies. ₿💡

Before her involvement with WyoHackathon, Caitlin co-founded the Wyoming Blockchain Coalition, a grassroots initiative that played a pivotal role in shaping Wyoming into one of the most crypto-friendly jurisdictions in the United States. 🏛️🔗

Leveraging her background in traditional finance and blockchain advocacy, Caitlin Long continues to influence crypto legislation and digital asset policy, bridging the gap between innovative technology and regulatory frameworks. ⚖️🌐

Blythe Masters

Blythe Masters is a renowned financial executive and one of the first high-profile Wall Street leaders to embrace blockchain technology. She served as the former CEO of Digital Asset Holdings, a pioneering fintech firm focused on building distributed ledger technology (DLT) solutions for the wholesale financial services industry. 💹🔗

Widely recognized as a trailblazer in financial innovation, Blythe Masters made headlines as the first major Wall Street banker to transition into the blockchain space, helping bridge the gap between traditional finance and decentralized technologies. 🏦➡️🧠

Her influence extends beyond her executive role. Masters is the Chair of the Board of Directors at the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger project, a leading open-source blockchain initiative designed for enterprise use. She also serves on the International Advisory Board of Santander Group, one of Europe’s largest banking institutions, and is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Digital Commerce’s advisory board, where she contributes to shaping blockchain policy and adoption in the United States. 🌐⚖️

With decades of experience in financial markets and a strong vision for the future of blockchain, Blythe Masters continues to be a key thought leader at the intersection of finance and emerging technologies. 📈💼

Galia Benartzi

Galia Benartzi is a seasoned technology entrepreneur and the co-founder of the Bancor Protocol, a groundbreaking standard for creating smart tokens and enabling decentralized liquidity on the blockchain. 🔁💡

In addition to her work with Bancor, she is also the Founder and CEO of Particle Code, a company focused on mobile development technologies. Benartzi has been a strong advocate for decentralized finance (DeFi) and continues to play a key role in advancing blockchain usability and innovation. 📱🌐

Joyce Kim

Joyce Kim is a visionary entrepreneur and the co-founder and Executive Director of Stellar.org, a non-profit organization focused on expanding financial access through decentralized blockchain technology. Stellar aims to connect financial institutions, reduce remittance costs, and empower the unbanked around the world. 🌍💸

Before launching Stellar, Joyce was a venture capitalist at Freestyle Capital, where she focused on early-stage investments in innovative tech startups. 🚀💼

She also co-founded simplehoney, a mobile commerce startup designed to simplify shopping experiences, and previously served as the CEO of Soompi, a popular entertainment and fan community platform for K-pop and Asian media. 📱🎵

Currently, Joyce Kim is a fellow at the MIT Media Lab, where she continues to explore the intersection of technology, finance, and global impact. Her diverse background in tech entrepreneurship, blockchain development, and venture capital makes her a leading voice in the world of decentralized finance and financial inclusion. 🧠🔗

Laura Shin

Laura Shin is a leading journalist and thought leader in the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. 📰🔗 She is widely recognized as one of the first mainstream reporters to cover digital assets, helping bring crypto into the public eye through accessible and in-depth reporting. 🪙📈

Previously, Laura served as a senior editor at Forbes, where she launched and led its dedicated coverage of blockchain and crypto-related topics. 🏢🖋️ Her impressive media background also includes roles as a reporter for Newsweek, a technical writer for the Wall Street Journal, and a producer at The New York Times. 🗞️📊

Today, Laura Shin is best known as the host and producer of the popular podcasts “Unchained” and “Unconfirmed”, where she interviews top minds in crypto, DeFi, NFTs, and Web3. 🎧🌐 She is also currently working on a highly anticipated book about the history and impact of cryptocurrencies. 📚🚀

With her journalistic integrity and deep industry insight, Laura continues to shape the global conversation around blockchain innovation and digital

Kathleen Breitman

Kathleen Breitman is a pioneering entrepreneur and co-founder of Tezos, a cutting-edge blockchain platform designed for smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Tezos is known for its self-amending protocol and on-chain governance, enabling seamless upgrades without the need for hard forks. 🔗📜

With a strong background in both finance and technology, Kathleen has built an impressive career prior to Tezos. She has worked at major institutions including Accenture, the global consulting firm; Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds; and The Wall Street Journal, where she gained experience in media and business reporting. 🏦📰💼

Today, she is recognized as one of the leading women in the blockchain space, known for her contributions to decentralized governance, protocol design, and the broader evolution of Web3 technologies. 🌍⚙️

Kelly Loeffler

Kelly Loeffler is an American business executive and former politician who served as the junior U.S. Senator for Georgia in 2020. 🏛️🇺🇸 Known for her leadership in both traditional finance and emerging technologies, Loeffler has been a key figure at the intersection of politics, Wall Street, and cryptocurrency. 💼💹

Before her political career, Kelly spent over 15 years at the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), a global operator of financial markets and the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. Her deep experience in capital markets positioned her for a groundbreaking role in digital assets. 💱📊

She later became the founding CEO of Bakkt, a regulated digital asset platform backed by ICE. Under her leadership, Bakkt became the first company to offer CFTC-approved “physically settled” Bitcoin futures contracts, marking a significant step in the institutional adoption of cryptocurrency. ₿✅

Kelly Loeffler remains an influential voice in the world of crypto finance, recognized for bridging the gap between traditional markets and blockchain innovation. 🌐🔗