In an astonishing six months as crypto winter hobbled even well-funded crypto companies, Binance defended its position at the top of all crypto exchanges and took down its $40 billion rival, FTX. That’s why Changpeng Zhao is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

The 30-year-old CEO of FTX shocked the world when his $40 billion crypto empire collapsed last month, with billions in customer assets still unaccounted. That's why Sam Bankman-Fried is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

It was no small task for the hundreds of developers and client teams to build, coordinate, and successfully swap out Ethereum’s core from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. That’s why Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum developers are among CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

The arrest of a web developer for the now-sanctioned currency mixer Tornado Cash has raised questions about whom states can hold responsible when bad actors use software to commit crimes. That's why Alexey Pertsev is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

Move over, war, famine, pestilence and death. Meet the CEOs of Terraform Labs, Three Arrows Capital, Celsius Network and Voyager Digital. For blowing up crypto, Do Kwon, Su Zhu, Alex Mashinsky and Stephen Ehrlich are four of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

The government of Ukraine has raised an unprecedented $178 million in crypto for its defense. That’s why Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

Blockchain-based algorithmic art is bucking the downward market trend of NFTs and one of the most popular platforms supporting this work is five-year-old Art Blocks. That’s why artist and CEO Erick Calderon is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

Born in the depths of the pandemic, the Vayner3 consultancy has guided many of the biggest mainstream companies into Web3. That’s why Avery Akkineni and Gary Vaynerchuk are two of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

In the year of crypto winter, the critics have been proven right more often than wrong. That’s why Molly White is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

President Joe Biden raised the hopes of the U.S. crypto industry by signing an executive order that directed federal entities to comprehensively regulate the industry. That’s why Carole House, a former White House adviser and one of the order’s chief authors, is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

Yuga Labs has grown beyond the wild success of its Bored Ape Yacht Club collection to become an NFT powerhouse with a $4 billion valuation and big plans in the metaverse. That’s why co-founders Wylie Aronow and Greg Solano and CEO Nicole Muniz share a spot on CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

Words fail when describing the infamous crypto couple who allegedly laundered $4.5 billion. He’s behind bars and she’s put her raunchy rap videos on hold, but Hollywood is calling. That’s why Heather “Razzlekhan” Morgan and Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein share a spot on CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

All signs indicate India’s powerful finance minister disdains cryptocurrencies, and now she is setting the G-20 agenda for how the world's economic powers will regulate it. That’s why Nirmala Sitharaman is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

The co-founder of $5.9 billion gaming giant Animoca Brands has made the development of a single, connected virtual world where users can interact across platforms the cornerstone of his investment strategy. That’s why Yat Siu is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.

Following his breakout year as an NFT artist, this 19-year old sold a generative art collection of "paint drop" NFTs for $20 million. That’s why FEWOCiOUS is one of CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2022.