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Most Influential 2021: Michael Saylor

The MicroStrategy CEO will buy the dip and the top. He’s in the market for bitcoin.

Updated May 11, 2023, 6:26 p.m. Published Dec 9, 2021, 9:40 p.m.
(Adam B. Levine/Pixelmind.ai)
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Michael Saylor has probably spent more on bitcoin at this point than anyone else – and he’s still buying. The CEO of MicroStrategy, a publicly traded business software company that now operates more like an unregistered bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), started his BTC binge with the firm’s cash reserves in 2020 and hasn’t stopped. Sometimes he buys the dip, sometimes at peaks, a sort of institutional-grade dollar cost averaging. To date, MicroStrategy has bought 122,478 BTC (worth about $6 billion), and Saylor is still on the market.

Obviously, Saylor has unique views on bitcoin. In addition to being the world’s most secure digital asset (not a currency), bitcoin is “energy,” a creative life force, he says. Fiat, by comparison, is a dead end.

The Complete List: CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2021

(Kevin Ross/CoinDesk)
(Kevin Ross/CoinDesk)


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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

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How the ultra-wealthy are using bitcoin to fund their yacht upgrades and Cannes trips

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Cometh founder Jerome de Tychey is applying DeFi lending and borrowing on platforms like Aave, Morpho, and Uniswap to structures that help the ultra-wealthy secure loans against their massive crypto fortunes.

What to know:

  • Wealthy investors who hold much of their fortune in crypto are increasingly turning to decentralized finance platforms to secure flexible credit lines without selling their digital assets.
  • Firms like Cometh help family offices and other rich clients navigate complex DeFi tools, using assets such as bitcoin, ether and stablecoins to replicate traditional Lombard-style collateralized loans.
  • DeFi loans can be faster and more anonymous than traditional bank credit but carry volatility and liquidation risks, and Cometh is also experimenting with applying DeFi strategies to traditional securities via ISIN-based tokenization.