CoinDesk Podcast Network CoinDesk's Most Influential 2025: Top 10 Revealed | CoinDesk Daily
Dec 19, 2025
Discover the latest Most Influential list in the crypto world! This year features heavyweights from Donald Trump to innovative developers like Roman Storm. Learn about Jeff Yan's groundbreaking DEX and Hayden Davis's meme-coin impact. Hear how Shane Copeland's Polymarket surged and Paolo Arduino's vision for Tether as a financial juggernaut. Explore Sam Altman's push for decentralized tech and Tom Lee's strategic crypto investments. Finally, get insights into Jerome Powell's economic influence on the crypto landscape!
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Developer On Trial Highlights Liability
- The Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm faced a high-profile money laundering trial this year.
- His case raised questions about developer liability and whether courts or legislation will resolve crypto's legal gray areas.
Influence Spans Multiple Arenas
- Crypto influence now spans legal, technical, political and cultural arenas simultaneously.
- The year's top figures illustrate that power in crypto comes from courts, code, markets and memes.
Small Team, Massive DEX Volume
- Jeff Yan quietly built Hyperliquid into a $308 billion volume DEX with a tiny team.
- His success shows technical precision can beat VC-backed hype.