Source: Cointelegraph Original: "{title}"
With more and more institutions adopting and the bullish sentiment in the U.S. driving it, the cryptocurrency market is firmly entering a bull market cycle. Bitcoin (BTC), once seen as a fringe asset, is now being sought after by major financial players.
Women have played a central role in this transformation, leading startups, formulating policies, creating educational content, writing research reports, and more, helping to push cryptocurrency into the mainstream.
For a long time, cryptocurrency has been a male-dominated industry, rooted in traditionally male-led technology and finance sectors. However, this novel industry represents a new wave of innovation in these fields. Cryptocurrency is now attracting 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 cryptocurrency hedge fund Pantera Capital showed that women's earnings in the industry have begun to exceed those of men, which is markedly different from trends in other sectors.
"The report notes that the relatively fair wages in the cryptocurrency industry indicate that the sector is moving towards greater gender equality, marking a progressive trend in this relatively new field."
Women earn more than men in the cryptocurrency space. Source: Pantera
While the gender pay gap in the cryptocurrency industry may have reversed, the proportion of women in top positions remains low, highlighting the long-standing glass ceiling in the sector.
The reversal of the gender pay gap in the cryptocurrency field. Source: Pantera
Nevertheless, women are seizing opportunities and leaping into the cryptocurrency gold rush, with their efforts bearing fruit as they make significant contributions across various disciplines and achieve success in the cryptocurrency industry.
Cynthia Lummis, a U.S. Senator from Wyoming, has become a key figure in the cryptocurrency industry, largely due to her advocacy for clear and balanced cryptocurrency 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 clear regulation.
Lummis has been a strong critic of the current popular anti-cryptocurrency regulatory approach, particularly the enforcement-oriented stance of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This has helped her gain the trust of many in the cryptocurrency community.
Her advocacy includes pushing for Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) to be classified as commodities under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) rather than the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
On July 27, 2024, she introduced the Bitcoin Act of 2024 at the Nashville Bitcoin Conference. The bill calls for the U.S. government to establish a strategic reserve of Bitcoin, purchasing about 5% of the total supply of 21 million BTC and holding it for at least 20 years. She hopes the U.S. will adopt Bitcoin as a reserve asset to avoid currency devaluation. Lummis stated:
"After the 2024 federal elections, with the Republican Party controlling both the Senate and the House, I doubled down on my commitment to pass this bill."
Source: Senator Cynthia Lummis
Lummis even went further, suggesting that instead of waiting to buy Bitcoin, the U.S. should convert its gold reserves into cryptocurrency.
Many believe the Bitcoin Act is one of the most bullish factors in the current Bitcoin cycle and continues to spark heated discussions in the cryptocurrency community.
Adam Back, co-founder and CEO of Blockstream and inventor of Hashcash, predicts that if the bill is enacted, it will drive Bitcoin's valuation above $1 million.
Source: Adam Back
Basel Ismail, CEO of investment analysis platform Blockcircle, told Cointelegraph that if the bill passes in the U.S., it will "send a signal to most countries in the G20," triggering a domino effect.
Suriname presidential candidate Maya Parbhoe has an ambitious vision: to establish a Bitcoin nation deeply integrated with cryptocurrency.
Her plan for Suriname goes beyond making Bitcoin legal tender—she also aims to dissolve the central bank, cut taxes, privatize public services, issue national Bitcoin bonds, and broadly deregulate.
In 2023, she collaborated with Samson Mow, CEO of Bitcoin accelerator Jan3, which played a crucial role in El Salvador's Bitcoin transformation. In Suriname, she nearly achieved her goal of making Bitcoin legal tender, but she stated that corruption derailed her efforts, prompting her to seek change through politics.
In October 2024, she announced her candidacy for the May 2025 elections, promising that if she wins, she will adopt the Bitcoin standard in Suriname within a year.
From left to right: Samson Mow, Suriname President Chan Santokhi, Maya Parbhoe, and Ben Van Hool. Source: Jan3
While many politicians have only recently begun to embrace cryptocurrency, Parbhoe has been dealing with Bitcoin for the past decade and firmly believes in Satoshi's values.
In 2014, her curiosity led her to Bitcoin, and she found her lifelong career, as she shared with Cointelegraph:
Parbhoe's vision and efforts to eradicate corruption have garnered support from many in the Bitcoin community. However, only time will tell if the momentum she has created is enough to gain power and reshape the country's future.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has made several promises that, if fulfilled, would lead to overwhelming support for cryptocurrency in the U.S. However, U.S. regulators and politicians have not always been friendly towards cryptocurrency.
Perianne Boring, founder and CEO of the blockchain advocacy organization The Digital Chamber, has long been at the forefront advocating for cryptocurrency-friendly policies.
The cryptocurrency voter bloc has made its voice heard, and we now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the U.S. the world capital of cryptocurrency. pic.twitter.com/3Sp3vo6qwJ
In 2018, Forbes named Boring one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Tech" in the U.S., representing her strong influence in the American blockchain space.
Boring is an early adopter of Bitcoin, having learned about it while working on Capitol Hill in 2011. She served as an economic analyst for a member of the House Financial Services Committee, and her political experience and understanding of Bitcoin led her to her current role.
She is a staunch advocate for clear cryptocurrency policies and has criticized the SEC for what many in the cryptocurrency industry see as "enforcement regulation." She believes the CFTC should regulate cryptocurrency because "cryptocurrency is a commodity."
According to Fox Business, her proactive attitude may have put her on the shortlist for a position at the CFTC, and if nominated and confirmed, she could potentially shape favorable regulations for cryptocurrency.
She could become a key figure in cryptocurrency 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 in the U.S., stipulating that most digital assets that fail the SEC's "Howey Test" would fall under the jurisdiction of the CFTC, particularly in the spot market.
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-themed podcast where she interviews key figures in Bitcoin and economics. Her work helps to connect complex financial concepts with personal stories, making Bitcoin accessible to a broader audience.
Brunell's career began in traditional media, where she worked as an investigative journalist and television reporter for over a decade. During the 2008 financial crisis, she witnessed her family's economic struggles, which led her to question systemic issues in the traditional financial system, prompting her to turn to Bitcoin.
Since then, her show has featured cryptocurrency-related guests such as Michael Saylor, Peter Schiff, PlanB, Anthony Pompliano, Willy Woo, Raoul Pal, Dan Held, Peter McCormack, and Jimmy Song.
Her transition from traditional media to a full-time Bitcoin advocate showcases her commitment to reshaping public understanding of money and technology.
Investor and stock analyst Lyn Alden is a well-known figure in macroeconomic analysis and investment strategy. She actively participates in cryptocurrency thought leadership, providing her perspectives and insights on the cryptocurrency market.
Alden excels at simplifying complex analyses, making them understandable to the average person. In 2024, she commissioned a research report titled "Bitcoin: A Global Liquidity Barometer," which explores the close correlation between Bitcoin price movements and global liquidity, particularly the M2 money supply (which measures cash, checking deposits, and other near-money assets).
The research indicates that Bitcoin aligns with global liquidity trends about 83% of the time, a higher percentage than other major asset classes like gold and stocks.
Source: Lyn Alden
This perspective emphasizes Bitcoin's potential to benefit from favorable liquidity conditions while also acknowledging its volatility and dependence on broader macroeconomic changes.
One of the most common criticisms of cryptocurrency is the negative environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining. However, this narrative has begun to shift.
Bitcoin uses Proof of Work (PoW) as its consensus mechanism, which requires significant computational 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 approximately 185 terawatt-hours annually, surpassing the energy consumption of Egypt and Poland.
Ranking of countries compared to Bitcoin's energy consumption. Source: CCAF
Margot Paez is a researcher at the Bitcoin Policy Institute and an environmental sustainability consultant. She believes that the flexibility of Bitcoin mining and its location-agnostic nature can accelerate the global transition to renewable energy while helping to balance the energy grid, which is counterintuitive.
She has played an active role in data-driven advocacy, promoting understanding of Bitcoin mining.
The price surge of Bitcoin in 2024 is closely related to the approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). BlackRock's BTC ETF has become the most successful ETF ever launched, continuously breaking its own inflow records previously set by its gold ETF.
Ophelia Snyder, co-founder and president of 21.co (the sponsor and sub-advisor of ARK Invest's spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs), has been a key figure on the front lines of establishing multiple ETFs.
On November 1, 2018, she launched the world's first cryptocurrency index exchange-traded product in Switzerland through 21.co's subsidiary, 21Shares.
One of Snyder's significant achievements is collaborating with Cathie Wood's ARK Invest to launch a spot Bitcoin ETF in the United States. Her efforts have provided traditional investors with convenient and secure market access, playing an important role in the legitimization of crypto assets.
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