An article counting seven outstanding women in the crypto field in 2024

Original title: "Reversing the gender gap: Women who kicked ass in crypto in 2024"

Author: Daniel Ramirez-Escudero, CoinTelegraph

Compiled by: Baishui, Golden Finance

The cryptocurrency market is firmly in a bull cycle, driven by growing institutional adoption and bullish sentiment in the United States. Once considered a fringe asset, Bitcoin is now gaining traction among major financial institutions.

Women have played a central role in this shift, helping drive mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies by leading startups, shaping policy, creating educational content, writing research reports, and more.

Cryptocurrency has long been a male-dominated industry, given its roots in the traditionally male-dominated worlds of tech and finance. However, novel industries represent fresh and innovative evolutions of these industries. Cryptocurrency now attracts more women, providing a unique opportunity to address the gender imbalance in tech and finance.

Cryptocurrency has long been criticized for its "bro" culture, but as the industry has matured, it has become more balanced, with women increasingly taking the lead and even surpassing men in some areas.

A July 29 report from cryptocurrency hedge fund Pantera Capital showed that women in the industry have begun to earn more than men, an apparent exception to trends in other industries.

“The relatively fair wages in cryptocurrency suggest that gender equality is moving in a greater direction, signaling a progressive trend in this fairly new field,” the report states.

In the cryptocurrency space, women earn more than men. Source: Pantera

The crypto industry’s gender pay gap may have reversed, but women remain underrepresented in senior roles, highlighting the industry’s ongoing glass ceiling.

The gender pay gap in cryptocurrency has reversed. Source: Pantera

Nonetheless, women have jumped at the chance to jump into the crypto gold rush, and their efforts have borne fruit, making notable contributions in various disciplines and achieving success in the crypto industry.

Senator Cynthia Lummis: A pro-Bitcoin lawmaker

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming has become a key figure in the crypto industry, largely due to her advocacy for clear, balanced crypto regulations.

Lummis invested in Bitcoin in 2013. Her deep understanding of digital assets and background as a Wyoming treasurer make her a leading voice for innovation and regulatory clarity in the U.S. Senate.

Lummis has strongly criticized the current anti-crypto regulatory approach, particularly the SEC’s enforcement-driven stance. This has helped her win the trust of many in the crypto community.

Her advocacy includes pushing for Bitcoin and Ethereum to be classified as commodities, subject to the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) rather than the SEC.

On July 27, 2024, she introduced the Bitcoin Act of 2024 at the Bitcoin Nashville Conference. The bill would require the U.S. government to establish a Bitcoin strategic reserve, purchase approximately 5% of the total supply of 21 million Bitcoins, and hold it for at least 20 years. She wants the United States to use Bitcoin as a reserve asset to hedge against currency devaluation. Lummis said:

"We have money now, but we will no longer hold it in dollars and in an asset designed to depreciate at least 2% a year. We will hold it as an asset that will appreciate in value."

She doubled down on her promise to pass the bill after the 2024 federal elections, when Republicans took control of both chambers.

Source: Senator Cynthia Lummis

Lummis even went a step further and suggested that the United States could convert its gold reserves into cryptocurrencies instead of waiting to buy Bitcoin.

The Bitcoin Act is considered by many to be one of the most optimistic elements of the current Bitcoin cycle and remains a source of excitement for the crypto community.

Adam Back, co-founder and CEO of Blockstream and inventor of Hashcash, predicted that if implemented, Bitcoin could be valued at more than $1 million.

Source: Adam Back

Basel Ismail, CEO of investment analysis platform Blockcircle, pointed out that if the bill is passed in the United States, it will "send a signal to most G20 countries" to follow suit, thus triggering a domino effect.

Maya Parbhoe: Creating a new Bitcoin nation

Suriname presidential candidate Maya Parbhoe has an ambitious vision: to create a Bitcoin nation deeply integrated with cryptocurrencies.

Her plans for Suriname go beyond making Bitcoin legal tender — she wants to dissolve the central bank, cut taxes, privatize public services, issue national Bitcoin bonds and pursue widespread deregulation.

In 2023, she played a crucial role in El Salvador's Bitcoin transformation, partnering with Samson Mow, CEO of Bitcoin accelerator Jan3. She almost achieved her goal of making Bitcoin legal tender in Suriname, but said corruption undermined her efforts, prompting her to seek change through politics.

In October 2024, she announced her candidacy for the May 2025 elections, promising to have Suriname adopt Bitcoin standards within a year if she won.

From left: Suriname President Chan Santoki, Maya Parbo and Ben van Hur.

While many politicians have only recently embraced cryptocurrencies, Parbhoe has been involved with Bitcoin for the past decade and firmly believes in the values ​​of Satoshi Nakamoto.

In 2014, her curiosity led her to Bitcoin and her lifelong career, as she shared:

“I fell completely down the rabbit hole and decided to dedicate the rest of my life to it. If there’s one reason you can die on this mountain, it’s Bitcoin.”

Parbhoe’s vision and efforts to root out corruption are supported by many in the Bitcoin community. However, only time will tell whether the momentum she is building is enough to take power and reshape the country's future.

Perianne Boring: Tireless Bitcoin Lobbyist

US President-elect Donald Trump has made several promises that, if fulfilled, could turn the country overwhelmingly in favor of cryptocurrencies. However, U.S. regulators and politicians have not always been so friendly to cryptocurrencies.

Perianne Boring, founder and CEO of blockchain advocacy group the Digital Chamber, has long been a tireless advocate for crypto-friendly policies on the front lines.

The crypto voter bloc has made its voice heard, and we now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the United States the crypto capital of the world.

— Perianne (@PerianneDC) November 13, 2024

In 2018, "Forbes" named Boring one of the "Top 50 Women in American Technology", which represents her strong influence in the field in the United States.

Boring was an early adopter, learning about Bitcoin in 2011 while working on Capitol Hill. She served as an economic analyst for a member of the House Financial Services Committee, and her political experience and knowledge of Bitcoin led her to her current role.

She is a staunch defender of clear crypto policy and has criticized the SEC for what many in the crypto industry consider "enforcement regulation." She believes that the CFTC should regulate cryptocurrencies because “cryptocurrencies are commodities.”

According to Fox Business, her positive attitude may have put her on the short list of candidates for CFTC chairmanship, with the potential to enact crypto-friendly regulations if she is nominated and confirmed.

She could become a key figure in crypto regulation, especially if the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century (FIT21) Act is enacted. FIT21 will clarify the roles of the CFTC and SEC and determine that most digital assets that fail to pass the "Howey test" of SEC securities will be under the jurisdiction of the CFTC, especially in the spot market.

Natalie Brunell: Educating the masses on crypto

Natalie Brunell is a well-known figure in the cryptocurrency space, known for her role as a Bitcoin advocate and educator.

Brunell hosts Coin Stories, a popular Bitcoin-centric podcast in which she interviews key figures in the fields of Bitcoin and economics. Her work helps connect complex financial concepts with personal stories, making Bitcoin accessible to a broad audience.

Brunell began her career in traditional media, where she spent more than a decade as an investigative reporter and television reporter. She turned to Bitcoin after witnessing her family's financial struggles during the 2008 financial crisis, which led her to question systemic issues with the traditional financial system.

Since then, her show has featured crypto-related guests such as Michael Saylor, Peter Schiff, PlanB, Anthony Pompliano, Willy Woo, Raoul Pal, Dan Held, Peter McCormack, and Jimmy Song, among others.

Her journey from traditional media to full-time Bitcoin advocate highlights her commitment to reshaping the public’s understanding of the currency and technology.

Lyn Alden: Bitcoin researcher

Investor and stock analyst Lyn Alden has become a well-known figure in the fields of macroeconomic analysis and investment strategy. She actively participates with cryptocurrency thought leaders, providing her perspective and understanding of the cryptocurrency market.

Alden excelled at making complex analysis simple for ordinary people. In 2024, she commissioned a research report titled "Bitcoin: A Global Liquidity Barometer," which explored the strong correlation between Bitcoin price movements and global liquidity, specifically measuring cash, checking deposits, and M2 money supply of other types of monetary assets.

Research shows that Bitcoin aligns with global liquidity trends approximately 83% of the time, a higher rate than other major asset classes such as gold and stocks.

This view highlights Bitcoin’s potential to benefit from favorable liquidity conditions, while acknowledging its volatility and dependence on broader macroeconomic changes.

Margot Paez: Combating environmental misinformation

One of the most common criticisms of cryptocurrencies is that the negative impact crypto mining has on the environment is too damaging. However, this narrative has begun to shift.

Bitcoin uses Proof of Work (PoW) as its consensus mechanism, which requires powerful computing power to generate new blocks on the blockchain. According to the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance (CCAF), as of December 17, Bitcoin consumed approximately 185 terawatt hours per year, more than Egypt and Poland.

Comparison chart of Bitcoin energy consumption rankings by country. Source: CCAF

Research conducted by Margot Paez, a researcher at the Bitcoin Policy Institute and environmental sustainability consultant, challenges the idea that Bitcoin is harmful to the environment. She believes that, counterintuitively, Bitcoin’s mining flexibility and location-independent nature could accelerate the global transition to renewable energy while helping to balance the energy grid.

She plays an active role in data-backed advocacy campaigns that help better understand Bitcoin mining.

Ophelia Snyder: Crypto ETF Expert

Bitcoin price gains in 2024 are closely tied to the approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). BlackRock’s BTC ETF has become the most successful ETF it has ever launched, flipping its gold ETF on the back of consecutive record capital inflows.

Ophelia Snyder, co-founder and president of 21.co, is the sponsor and sub-adviser of the ARK Invest Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs and has been a key figure on the ground floor in setting up multiple ETFs.

On November 1, 2018, she launched the world’s first crypto index exchange-traded product in Switzerland through 21.co subsidiary 21Shares.

One of Snyder's major achievements was the launch of a spot Bitcoin ETF in the United States in partnership with Cathie Wood's ARK Invest. Her efforts have been instrumental in legitimizing crypto assets for traditional investors by providing simple, secure market access.