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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.
(Adam Levine/CoinDesk)

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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(Kevin Ross/CoinDesk)
(Kevin Ross/CoinDesk)

Most Influential 2021CoinbaseBrian Armstrong
CoinDesk

CoinDesk is the world leader in news, prices and information on bitcoin and other digital currencies.

We cover news and analysis on the trends, price movements, technologies, companies and people in the bitcoin and digital currency world.

CoinDesk

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