The crypto industry had a fantastic year in 2021. The industry experienced a surge in almost every aspect - from Bitcoin and Ethereum reaching new all-time highs to the mainstream adoption of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). India recorded the second-highest number of cryptocurrencies users worldwide during the year, and India-based crypto exchange platforms attracted millions of users, with Coin switch alone amassing over 15+ million of them.

1. Crypto Market:
The crypto industry had a fantastic year in 2021. The industry experienced a surge in almost
every aspect - from Bitcoin and Ethereum reaching new all-time highs to the mainstream
adoption of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).
India recorded the second-highest number of cryptocurrencies users worldwide during the year,
and India-based crypto exchange platforms attracted millions of users, with Coin switch alone
amassing over 15+ million of them.
The crypto market fluctuated as well. While expected, given the market’s volatile nature, the
fluctuations were often triggered - to a large extent - by the actions of celebrities, tech titans,
industry leaders, and artists, and that was new. These influencers impact the crypto market with
their support for digital currencies and often use social media to promote them. And following
them can be useful for investors as well.
 Influencers you should follow:

2.  Samuel Bankman-Fried
In the cryptocurrency space, Samuel Bankman-Fried (SBF) has made many significant
contributions. To begin with, he founded FTX, a cryptocurrency and derivatives exchange, in
2019. The company has quickly grown to become the sixth-largest by volume, with a $3.5 billion
valuation.
An MIT graduate and the founder of Alameda Research as well, SBF is currently the richest
crypto billionaire, with a net worth of $22.5 billion. He is also the richest person under 30 since
Mark Zuckerberg, according to Forbes.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of Tesla and the richest person in the world, is a well-known
figure in the cryptocurrency world. He is arguably the crypto world’s alpha influencer and is
widely regarded as its first influencer as well.
With 69.9 million followers on Twitter, Musk influences the crypto market to such an extent
through his tweets that it makes decentralization seem like a joke. In fact, his tweets have had

3. such an impact on certain coins that the term “Musk effect" came to be coined in the
cryptocurrency world. When he announced in February 2021 that Tesla had purchased $1.5
billion worth of BTC, the value of Bitcoin rose by 20% on the same day.
Musk’s attention has recently shifted from Bitcoin to Dogecoin, a popular memecoin. He is now
credited with guiding Dogecoin to its current position, and he calls himself the Dogefather.
 Nayib Bukele
Under the presidency of Nayib Bukele, El Salvador became the first country to recognize Bitcoin
as a legal tender. El Salvador has found a place on the crypto map as a result of this bold move
and Bukele’s other pro-crypto initiatives. Furthermore, the country has been on a BTC buying
binge, increasing its holdings whenever possible.
Nayib Bukele has even announced a plan to build an oceanside “Bitcoin City” at the base of a
volcano, in addition to starting 20 Bitcoin schools and a mining facility in El Sal
 Vitalik Buterin
Vitalik Buterin is a Russian-Canadian programmer who co-founded the Ethereum blockchain
and the Bitcoin Magazine. Bitcoin Magazine is widely regarded as the first publication dedicated
solely to cryptocurrency. Some of his early writings in it continue to impact the cryptocurrency
industry even today.
Vitalik Buterin is on the radar of the most influential people in crypto simply because he is the
co-founder of Ethereum, one of the top cryptocurrencies by market cap. He is also one of the
world’s youngest crypto billionaires, having made a name for himself with his groundbreaking
Ethereum work.
 Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey is the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, who sent out the world’s first-ever
tweet. The tweet simply reads: “just setting up my twitter”. But it was sold as a Non-Fungible
Token (NFT) for over $2.9 million in ETH in March 2021! Later, he converted the funds to
BTC.
Jack Dorsey has been dubbed “Silicon Valley’s leading Bitcoin evangelist” by some. As a
supporter of Bitcoin, its technology, and its ecosystem, Dorsey has commented on the crypto
industry on several occasions. Many people follow his Bitcoin advocacy because he is a
powerful voice in the technology industry.

4. After resigning from Twitter, he shifted his focus to Square (now named Block), emerging
finance and payments service, also founded by him.
 Michael Saylor
Michael Saylor is the founder, chairman, and CEO of MicroStrategy, the enterprise analytics and
mobility software firm which invested $425 million in Bitcoin as an alternative to gold and
bonds. Michael Saylor is a key figure in the cryptocurrency industry.
It was under his leadership that MicroStrategy purchased its first bitcoin (BTC), making it one of
the first institutional buyers of cryptocurrency. MicroStrategy has never missed an opportunity to
buy BTC. The well-known business analytics platform now has 124,392 BTC worth $5.8 billion,
making it the public company with the largest Bitcoin portfolio.
Saylor’s Twitter account, too, demonstrates his enthusiasm for Bitcoin. He also stated that he
owns 17,732 BTC.
 Changpeng Zhao
Changpeng Zhao, aka CZ, launched Binance in July 2017. Since then, Binance has grown to
become the largest cryptocurrency exchange for retail investors in the world. Much like his
company, CZ too has come a long way - from flipping burgers while attending McGill
University in Montreal, to becoming one of crypto’s most powerful figures. He is now not only
the largest shareholder in Binance but he is also amassed a sizable number of binance coins
(BNB) and BTC.
He has played a significant role in the crypto market, providing funding for new businesses and
offering users a secure platform to trade over 700 different crypto pairs.
Conclusion:
In comparison to other forms of investment, cryptocurrencies are a relatively new asset class.
They have only been around for a decade, so many only have only a basic understanding of them
and often require assistance. Industry influencers who have the right knowledge thus use their
platform to educate their followers.
However, these influencers might be a tad difficult to reach for queries related to crypto
investment. This is where Coin Switch helps. Be sure to visit their website to brush up on your
crypto basics even as you follow these seven big names to keep yourself updated.