So far, 2021 has had a mixed cryptocurrency market movement. After the massive rise in the crypto market in the past year, 2021 has been a year of continuity and market correction.
With Bitcoin hitting the highs of around $64,000, the market has become an attractive investment for most people. However, it has since recorrected to trade around $40,000 at the time of writing. These changes are reflected in several other cryptocurrencies, as Bitcoin remains the indicator of the crypto market movement.
At the heart of these changes are the crypto influencers. These are the individuals who have the power to shape the crypto industry. They range from crypto assets founders to educators and investors. These influencers have positioned themselves as the thought leaders and impact the uptake of the various crypto assets, hence having a stake in the crypto market.
As the crypto market changes, so do the crypto influencers. 2021 has seen the rise of various social media sites like TikTok become an ideal platform for crypto influencers. However, Twitter retains its place as the most preferred social media platform for crypto influencers and users.
Here is the list of popular crypto influencers in 2021.
1. Ben “BitBoy Crypto” Armstrong
With the massive crypto market shift in 2021, people have been on the run to either invest or cash in crypto assets. Most investors are ever in the race to buy on the low and sell on the high to make profits. However, as a new asset, not everyone understands the market movements. They are never too sure whether the market will rise or fall. These people then rely on educational crypto experts for information.
Ben Armstrong is one of the crypto educators who have become the leading source of information for the crypto masses in 2021. As the creator of BitBoy Crypto, Ben uses the platform to spread Bitcoin adoption and make crypto more mainstream.
Ben currently boasts a massive following of 2.6 million followers on Tiktok and 877,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel to become one of the most notable people in crypto. This also couples up with 292,000 Twitter and 149,000 Instagram followers.
These numbers are massive given he has been in the crypto sphere for less than three years.
2. Sam Bankman-Fried
Sam Bankman-Fried is one of the most notable figures in the blockchain world due to his massive crypto investments. He launched a trading firm and liquidity provider, Alameda Research, in 2017. Before launching FTX in 2019. The platform has become one of the fastest-growing crypto exchanges globally to become the sixth-largest exchange by volume.
Bankman-Fried became one of the most influential figures in crypto following the Defi boom of 2020. He was integral in shaping the decentralised finances movement in that period. He created Serum, a decentralised exchange and token, on the Solana platform. He also played a role in crushing the price of Yearn.finances after shortening it. He also became the controller of SushiSwap.
Even though the Defi boom did not last for long, Bankman-Fried retained his influence in crypto. He has been featured in various news publications, with Forbes naming him a “Top 30 under 30” in 2021.
Bankman-Fried has a goal of attracting more than 1 billion people to the decentralised finances and cryptocurrencies. Given his influence, this remains an achievable goal. His trading platform, FTX, keeps on introducing various innovative trading assets and partners with different outfits to reach more users.
3. Elon Musk
Anyone who knows a thing about cryptocurrency knows about Elon Musk. The CEO of Tesla has had a complex relationship with the crypto world yet remains one of the most influential personalities in crypto. With the Wall Street Journal describing him as Bitcoin’s biggest influencer, no single individual has had so much power over a market.
The first clear show of Elon Musk’s influence on the crypto market happened in February 2021. The electric car manufacturer purchased $1. 5 million worth of Bitcoin. This was a show of approval on the crypto leading to a massive market upturn.
Elon Musk has also been integral in the development of Dogecoin. He made it grow into one of the most valuable crypto assets based on trading volume by relentlessly tweeting about the meme-inspired crypto. As a result, the token grew by more than 800%.
Most crypto circles have also blamed Elon Musk for the massive decline in crypto-assets experienced in the past month. For example, Bitcoin dropped from the highs of $63k to reach around $40k. One of the reasons for the decline was Elon Musk denouncing the coin due to its impact on Carbon footprint.
While some experts believe the more Musk Tweets, the lesser influence he will have on cryptocurrency, for now, he remains a powerful voice in crypto.
4. Vitalik Buterin
No crypto influencers list is ever complete without featuring Vitalik Buterin. The Ethereum co-founder is one of the most trusted voices in the crypto world. His work has been some of the most impressive as he introduced the possibility of smart contracts and decentralised applications without everyone having to own a cryptocurrency platform. Instead, Ethereum allows one to develop any decentralised tool on its network.
Buterin is also known for its role in the crypto community as a writer and content creator. He is the founder of Bitcoin Magazine. In addition, Buterin is active on Twitter with over 2.1million followers. He uses the platform to share various crypto insights, articles, reviews and other relevant information.
5. Roger Ver
Known as “Bitcoin Jesus”, Roger Ver is another influential name in the crypto sphere. He was one of the earliest personalities to embrace Bitcoin and extensively spread information about it. He also became one of the first people to accept payments through Bitcoin. He ended up amassing thousands of BTC given the low value by then. Roger Ver has also invested in other crypto startups like Kraken, Pursue.io and Ripple.
Roger Ver has served in various capacities in the crypto world. For example, he is currently the executive chairman of Bitcoin.com, a web portal for different Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash services. He also has an active Twitter page with over 730k followers. He uses the platform to engage the followers on news and information surrounding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and other varying content.
6. Anthony Pompliano
Anthony Pompliano is one of the most prominent individuals in the crypto world. While most influential people in crypto tend to concentrate on a single platform, Pompliano is part of several social media platforms. He has a total of more than 930,000 followers.
Pompliano is one of the earliest supporters and owners of Bitcoin. He is also a partner at a hedge fund that focuses on blockchain technology and digital assets.
Pompliano runs a successful YouTube channel, Anthony Pompliano, where he shares a wide range of Bitcoin and crypto content. In addition, he analyses the various market trends and the business, tech, and finance sides of things.
7. Charlie Lee
Charlie Lee is another individual who has remained influential in the crypto sphere over the years. The creator of Litecoin has been instrumental in the development of “Bitcoin’s Silver” to offer better scalability and security. He has also worked before as a Director of Engineering at Coinbase.
Charlie Lee is a thought leader in the crypto world with a following of more than 1 million people on social media. He uses his Twitter account to share various crypto news and information and various crypto-related articles. He also has a knack for memes and comic strips with crypto humour.
Most influential people in crypto 2021 FAQs
What impact do crypto influencers have on the crypto market?
The crypto influencers have a massive impact on the crypto market. Given the crypto market movement depends on the demand and supply, the influences can impact the market changes. For example, Elon Musk has proven to have a significant impact on market movements. By endorsing Dogecoin, it rallied to increase in value by more than 800%. However, the impact of each influencer varies on reach, audience and authority.
Are there risks in relying on crypto influencers?
While most crypt influencers are well informed and provide factual information, do not rely solely on everything you hear from them. Given the various market movements, it is common to find different influencers with varying market outlooks. In most cases, the influencers never agree on similar aspects. As such, there is still a risk when you rely entirely on one influencer for all crypto-related information.
What are the other issues with crypto influencers?
Another concern is the possibility of fraudulent promotions. Various crypto tokens can use influencers to sell their tokens without revealing them as an advertisement. On your side, you end up trusting the information believing it’s the true reflection of the market. This is against consumer protection and also allows for tax avoidance. For example, various celebrities have been charged before for hidden advertisements. Australia has also had its fair share of fake celebrity endorsements.
