Stereotypically, people think white, middle-class men between the ages of 18 and 35 are making the big bucks off of crypto, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, worldwide, people from all nationalities and income levels are making great use of crypto. Many are rising from their “paycheck to paycheck” situation and finding a new income stream with digital finance. Many women have also flourished in the industry, either by trading or finding their career in it. Here are some standout names that you should know about.
Women have started making major bank on crypto as well. It’s not just a man’s world. Photo by Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels.
Meltem Demirors
First on our list, she’s the Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares, a financial services firm based both in London and New York that covers digital currencies. Next to hosting podcasts and being a regular speaker at crypto events, Demirors is a board member of the WEF Blockchain Council. She has 154.6k followers. In 2018, Fortune magazine named her in The Ledger 40 Under 40. Demirors is likely making millions of dollars managing assets for CoinShares.
Lea Thompson aka Girl Gone Crypto
Lea got hooked when she made $20,000 on her first bull run in 2017. The Girl Gone Crypto is an influencer who has amassed a huge following thanks to her online presence (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc.) and podcasts. She’s become a trusted figure on the market thanks to her honest and easy-to-understand communication style. She even talked to the CoinsPaid CEO Max Krupyshev about his company.
Wendy O
CryptoWendyO is one of the young influencers who is demystifying cryptocurrency for the masses. She is a self-proclaimed Bitcoin and Defi swing trader. Wendy became interested in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in 2017. Though her riches aren’t known, we’re pretty certain that she’s got major bank and has already confirmed she’d made her first million. She came from a poor background, but crypto allowed her to make investments without having a lot of capital first.
Elizabeth Stark
As the Cofounder and CEO of Lightning Labs, Elizabeth Stark is extremely knowledgeable about decentralized finance, blockchain and all of its many uses and benefits. Under her guidance, Lightning Labs developed tech that facilitated and scaled transaction processing from Bitcoin’s main network. She’s also taught classes at the Ivy League universities Stanford and Yale on the future of the internet. Some years ago, she was a major force in fighting for internet freedom against SOPA/PIPA, which threatened free speech and innovation and would allow the law to block access to entire Internet domains. She’s definitely a multi-millionaire.
Catherine Coley
“Call me Coley” made a splash in the news this April when she vanished from the public eye after having been ousted and quickly replaced as Binance US CEO. Many speculate that she’s silent now because of some legal proceedings. Nevertheless, prior to this, she was in the Fortune 40 under 40 and did a lot for Binance. Her last reported net worth is $15 Million.
Aya Miyaguchi
Her acclamations are long and prestigious. Miyaguchi is the Executive Director for the Ethereum Foundation where she drives the ecosystem through core development and research activities. She also promotes educational efforts around blockchain. She was previously a Managing Director at Kraken. In 2019, she joined the World Economic Forum’s Blockchain Global Council.
Honorable Mention: Ruja Ignatova, Crypto Queen & conwoman
We couldn’t mention a rich crypto women list without talking about Ruja Ignatova, the founder of OneCoin who scammed billions of dollars from investors and has since been on the run. Recently in November 2021, a luxury penthouse of hers was discovered in London. Does this mean she might be caught soon? The trail clues might be closing in on her. She’s so rich she kept an Andy Warhol painting stuffed in the cupboard.
Women Should Continue to Thrive in Crypto
The world of crypto is open to women, just as it is to anyone. That’s what makes blockchain so great – it’s extremely inclusive, shattering any walls that archaic institutions might have put up. Now is the time for more women to get in the crypto space before it becomes too male-dominated.
