Share this article
Most Influential 2021: Charles Hoskinson
Cardano’s founder brought smart contracts to one of the largest “Ethereum killers” this year.
By CoinDesk
Updated May 11, 2023, 6:26 p.m. Published Dec 8, 2021, 5:24 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Just like his co-founder Gavin Wood, Charles Hoskinson went on to do his own thing after developing Ethereum. With Cardano, which hit an all-time high in August this year and currently stands at a $44 billion market capitalization, Hoskinson aimed to develop a more scalable, secure and efficient alternative to Ethereum. Cardano was at some point the “third coin” in cryptocurrency, the rotating coin that is the third biggest by market capitalization after bitcoin and ethereum and thus, in some respects, the one that competes most closely with them.
The Complete List: CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2021
Ardana, a stablecoin and lending hub built on Cardano, recently raised $10 million to build a cross-chain bridge between Cardano and Near protocol. But Hoskinson’s greatest accomplishment might be bringing smart contract functionality to Cardano.
More For You
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.
More For You
Solana’s new phase is ‘much more about finance,’ says Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante
The Solana ecosystem has spent the past year doubling down on a financial infrastructure, Backpack CEO Armani Ferrante told CoinDesk.
What to know:
- Solana’s latest phase looks a lot less flashy than its memecoin-fueled highs, and that may be the goal.
- Armani Ferrante, CEO of crypto exchange Backpack, told CoinDesk in an interview the Solana ecosystem has spent the past year doubling down on a more sober focus: financial infrastructure. A
- fter years of experimentation as the wider crypto industry focused on NFTs, games and social tokens, attention is now shifting back toward decentralized finance, trading and payments.
Top Stories
