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Most Influential 2021: Brian Armstrong
Coinbase’s CEO took the U.S.-based exchange public this year in a direct listing on Nasdaq.
By CoinDesk
Updated May 11, 2023, 5:16 p.m. Published Dec 10, 2021, 8:16 p.m.
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Brian Armstrong, the 38-year-old founder of Coinbase, took the U.S.’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume public this year. In addition to his work making mass crypto adoption easy, Armstrong has been a vocal critic of onerous financial regulations, even proposing that the U.S. appoint a crypto-specific industry watchdog. Although a proposed savings feature called Lend was waylaid by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Coinbase continues to expand its revenue streams with a non-fungible token (NFTs) platform and credit card. Recently, Coinbase worked with decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Compound to bring users greater returns on their DAI holdings. Something of a crypto “incumbent,” Coinbase continues to innovate.
The Complete List: CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2021
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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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Millions in crypto wealth at risk of vanishing when holders die. Here's how to protect them
Without proper planning, inherited crypto can easily be lost to delays, missing keys or fiduciaries unfamiliar with the asset class, experts warn.
What to know:
- Crypto holders can take a few steps to prevent their assets from disappearing forever when they pass away.
- Without proper planning, inherited crypto can easily be lost to probate delays, missing private keys, or fiduciaries unfamiliar with the asset class.
- Even with improved regulatory clarity, crypto adds complexity beyond what many in the advisory space are accustomed to.
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