The Most Influential Folks in Crypto Regulations

It’s not that being a crypto regulatory reporter is ever really boring, but a lot has happened this year. Like, a LOT.

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The narrative

CoinDesk published its annual Most Influential list, recognizing the 50 individuals who have had the greatest impact on the crypto universe over the past 12 months.

Why it matters

This list recognizes developers, activists, and more than a few regulatory/legal folks. I wanted to create a quick list of folks who were solely tied to that last category.

Breaking it down

CoinDesk published its annual Most Influential list (it’s not a ranking, except for the top 10 being maybe more influential than the other 40).

I wrote a few pieces (I had nothing to do with the art and didn’t know about it when I wrote the pieces), as did my CoinDesk reg team colleagues, but I wanted to take a minute to recognize other influential figures who we may see pop up again.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive or objective list; just a recognition of some of the folks whose work I’ve paid attention to this year.

• U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, AUSA Nicholas Roos and the rest of the prosecutors who ran the case against Sam Bankman-Fried – Obviously this group needs no introduction; just last month, they secured a conviction on seven different counts of fraud and conspiracy against FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried. During a press conference hours after the jury returned its verdict, Williams warned that his team would continue to go after any wrongdoing they found.
• FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried – While Bankman-Fried himself hasn’t seen much in a crypto regulatory sense this year, the aftermath of his companies’ collapse still looms large over the broader industry and how both regulators and lawmakers engage with the sector.
• New York Department of Financial Services Superintendent Adrienne Harris – NYDFS has been an influential overseer for crypto companies in New York for years, but Harris continues to build out rules for the space.
• New York Attorney General Letitia James – The NYAG’s office has been on the industry’s radar since announcing its inquiry into Tether and Bitfinex, but it’s…