Original title: (Reversing the gender gap: Women who kicked ass in crypto in 2024)
Author: Daniel Ramirez-Escudero, CoinTelegraph
Compiled by: Bai Shui, Gold Finance
Driven by the growing institutional adoption and bullish sentiment in the U.S., the cryptocurrency market is firmly in a bull cycle. Bitcoin, once seen as a fringe asset, is now embraced by major financial institutions.
Women have played a central role in this transformation, leading startups, shaping policy, creating educational content, writing research reports, and more, helping to drive mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies.
Given its roots in traditionally male-dominated technology and finance sectors, cryptocurrency has long been a male-dominated industry. However, the novel industry represents a fresh and innovative evolution of these fields. Cryptocurrency now attracts more women, providing a unique opportunity to address the gender imbalance in technology and finance.
Cryptocurrency has long been criticized for its 'bro' culture, but as the industry matures, it has become more balanced, with women increasingly taking the lead and even surpassing men in certain areas.
On July 29, a report from Pantera Capital, a cryptocurrency hedge fund, showed that women's income in the industry has begun to exceed men's, clearly an exception to trends in other sectors.
The report noted: "The relatively fair wages in the cryptocurrency sector indicate that gender equality is progressing toward greater parity, marking a trend of advancement in this relatively new field."
In the cryptocurrency space, women's income exceeds men's. Source: Pantera
The gender pay gap in the crypto industry may have reversed, but women's representation in senior positions remains insufficient, highlighting the persistent glass ceiling in the industry.
The gender pay gap in the cryptocurrency sector has reversed. Source: Pantera
Nevertheless, women have seized the opportunity to jump into the cryptocurrency gold rush, and their efforts have borne fruit, making significant contributions in various disciplines and achieving success in the crypto industry.
Senator Cynthia Lummis: Lawmaker Supporting Bitcoin
U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming has become a key figure in the crypto industry, mainly due to her advocacy for clear and balanced crypto regulations.
Lummis invested in Bitcoin in 2013. Her deep understanding of digital assets and her background as Wyoming's state treasurer have made her a leading voice in the U.S. Senate for innovation and regulatory clarity.
Lummis has criticized the current anti-crypto regulatory approach, particularly the enforcement-driven stance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This has helped her gain the trust of many in the crypto community.
Her advocacy includes pushing for the classification of Bitcoin and Ethereum as commodities, to be regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) instead of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
On July 27, 2024, she presented the Bitcoin bill at the Bitcoin Nashville Conference. The bill would require the U.S. government to establish a Bitcoin strategic reserve, purchasing about 5% of the total supply of 21 million Bitcoins and holding them for at least 20 years. She hopes that the U.S. will treat Bitcoin as a reserve asset to hedge against currency devaluation. Lummis said:
"We have money now, but we will no longer hold assets in dollars that are designed to depreciate by at least 2% each year. We will hold it as an asset that appreciates in value."
After the 2024 federal elections, with the Republican Party controlling both the House and Senate, she doubled down on her commitment to pass the bill.
Source: Senator Cynthia Lummis
Lummis went even further, suggesting that the U.S. could exchange its gold reserves for cryptocurrency instead of waiting to buy Bitcoin.
(The Bitcoin Bill) is considered by many to be one of the most optimistic factors in 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, predicts that if implemented, Bitcoin's valuation could exceed $1 million.
Source: Adam Back
Basel Ismail, CEO of investment analysis platform Blockcircle, pointed out that if the bill is passed in the U.S., it will send a signal for most G20 countries to follow suit, 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 cryptocurrency.
Her plans for Suriname involve more than just making Bitcoin legal tender—she aims to dissolve the central bank, reduce taxes, privatize public services, issue national Bitcoin bonds, and implement widespread deregulation.
In 2023, she played a crucial role in El Salvador's Bitcoin transformation in collaboration with Bitcoin accelerator Jan3 CEO Samson Mow. She nearly achieved the goal of making Bitcoin legal tender in Suriname, but she stated that corruption undermined her efforts, prompting her to seek change through politics.
On October 2024, she announced her candidacy for the May 2025 election, promising to adopt the Bitcoin standard in Suriname within a year if elected.
From left: Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, Maya Parbhoe, and Ben Van Hul.
While many politicians have only recently embraced cryptocurrency, Parbhoe has been involved with Bitcoin for the past decade and firmly believes in Satoshi's values.
In 2014, her curiosity led her to Bitcoin, and she found a lifelong career, as she shared:
"I fell completely down the rabbit hole and decided to devote my life to it. If there’s one reason to die on this hill, it’s Bitcoin."
Parbhoe's vision and efforts to eliminate corruption have garnered support from many in the Bitcoin community. However, only time will tell whether the momentum she is building is enough to gain power and reshape the future of the nation.
Perianne Boring: Tireless Bitcoin Lobbyist
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made several promises that, if fulfilled, could lead to overwhelming support for cryptocurrency in the country. However, U.S. regulators and politicians are not always so friendly toward cryptocurrency.
Perianne Boring, founder and CEO of the Digital Chamber, has long tirelessly advocated for crypto-friendly policies on the front lines.
Crypto voter groups have made their voices heard, and we now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the U.S. the world's cryptocurrency capital.
——Perianne (@PerianneDC), November 13, 2024
In 2018, (Forbes) named Boring one of the '50 Most Powerful Women in Technology' in the U.S., representing her substantial influence in the field.
Boring is an early adopter who learned about Bitcoin while working on Capitol Hill in 2011. She served as an economic analyst for members of the House Financial Services Committee, and her political experience and understanding of Bitcoin led her to her current position.
She is a strong advocate for clear crypto policy and has criticized the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as many in the crypto industry view it as 'enforcement regulation.' She believes the CFTC should regulate cryptocurrency because 'cryptocurrency is a commodity.'
According to Fox Business, her positive attitude may have put her on the shortlist of candidates for the CFTC chair, and if nominated and confirmed, she could create crypto-friendly regulations.
She could become a key figure in crypto regulation, especially if the (Financial Innovation and Technology Act of the 21st Century) (FIT21) is enacted. FIT21 would clarify the roles of the CFTC and SEC, determining that most digital assets that fail the SEC's 'Howey Test' would fall under CFTC jurisdiction, particularly in the spot market.
Natalie Brunell: Educating the Public about Crypto
Natalie Brunell is a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency space, known for her role as a Bitcoin advocate and educator.
Brunell hosts Coin Stories, a very popular Bitcoin-centric podcast where she interviews key figures in Bitcoin and economics. Her work helps connect complex financial concepts with personal stories, making Bitcoin accessible to a wider audience.
Brunell's career began in traditional media, where she worked as an investigative journalist and television reporter for over a decade. After witnessing her family's financial struggles during the 2008 financial crisis, she began to turn to Bitcoin, which made her question the systemic issues of the traditional financial system.
Since then, her show has invited guests related to cryptocurrency, such as Michael Saylor, Peter Schiff, PlanB, Anthony Pompliano, Willy Woo, Raoul Pal, Dan Held, Peter McCormack, and Jimmy Song.
Her journey from traditional media to full-time Bitcoin advocacy highlights her commitment to reshaping public understanding of money and technology.
Lyn Alden: Bitcoin Researcher
Investor and stock analyst Lyn Alden has become a prominent figure in macroeconomic analysis and investment strategy. She actively participates in cryptocurrency thought leadership activities, providing her insights and understanding of the cryptocurrency market.
Alden excels at making complex analyses simple for the average person. In 2024, she commissioned a research report titled 'Bitcoin: A Global Liquidity Barometer' that explored the strong correlation between Bitcoin price movements and global liquidity, particularly as measured by the M2 money supply, which includes cash, checking deposits, and other types of currency assets.
Research shows that Bitcoin has aligned with global liquidity trends about 83% of the time, a higher percentage than other major asset classes like gold and stocks.
This view highlights the potential for Bitcoin to benefit from favorable liquidity conditions while acknowledging its volatility and dependence on broader macroeconomic changes.
Margot Paez: Fighting Environmental Misinformation
One of the most common criticisms of cryptocurrency is that the negative impact of crypto mining on the environment is too destructive. However, this narrative is beginning to change.
Bitcoin uses proof of work (PoW) as its consensus mechanism, requiring substantial computing power to generate new blocks on the blockchain. According to data from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), as of December 17, Bitcoin consumes about 185 terawatt-hours annually, more than Egypt and Poland combined.
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 notion that Bitcoin is harmful to the environment. She argues that, counter to intuition, Bitcoin's mining flexibility and location-agnostic nature could accelerate the transition to renewable energy globally while helping to balance the energy grid.
She played an active role in data-driven advocacy to better understand Bitcoin mining.
Ophelia Snyder: Crypto ETF Expert
The rise in Bitcoin prices in 2024 is closely linked to the approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). BlackRock's BTC ETF has become the most successful ETF launched in its history, flipping its gold ETF with record capital inflows.
Ophelia Snyder, co-founder and president of 21.co, is a sponsor and associate advisor for ARK Invest’s spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, and has been a frontline key figure in setting up multiple ETFs.
On November 1, 2018, she launched the world's first crypto index exchange-traded product in Switzerland through her subsidiary 21.co, 21Shares.
One of Snyder's significant achievements is working with Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest to launch a spot Bitcoin ETF in the U.S. Her efforts have played a crucial role in legitimizing crypto assets for traditional investors by providing simple and secure market access.
