Reversing the gender gap: Women who kicked ass in crypto in 2024
2024-12-25
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Crypto markets are firmly in a bull cycle, fueled by growing institutional adoption and bullish sentiment in the United States. Once seen as a fringe asset, Bitcoin BTCUSD is now being embraced by major financial players. 
Women have been central to this shift, leading startups, shaping policy, creating educational content, crafting research reports and more, helping drive the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies.
Crypto has long been a male-dominated industry, given its roots in tech and finance — fields traditionally led by men. However, the novel sector represents a fresh and innovative evolution of these industries. Crypto is now drawing more women, offering a unique chance to address the gender imbalance in tech and finance.
Crypto has long been criticized for its “bro” culture, but as the sector 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 crypto hedge fund Pantera Capital revealed that women have begun to outearn men in the industry, marking a clear exception to trends in other sectors.
“The relatively fair wages in crypto suggest a move toward greater gender equity, marking a progressive trend in this fairly new field,” noted the report.
The gender wage gap may have reversed in the crypto sector, but women remain underrepresented in top-tier positions, highlighting the persistent glass ceiling within the industry.
Despite this, women have taken the opportunity to leap into the crypto gold rush, and their efforts are already bearing fruit with notable contributions in diverse disciplines and successes in the crypto industry.
Senator Cynthia Lummis: Pro-Bitcoin lawmaker
Cynthia Lummis, a US Senator from Wyoming, has become a pivotal figure in the crypto industry, mainly due to her advocacy for clear, balanced crypto regulations.
Lummis invested in Bitcoin in 2013. Her deep understanding of digital assets and background as Wyoming’s treasurer position her as a leading voice for innovation and regulatory clarity in the US Senate.
Lummis has strongly criticized the prevailing anti-crypto regulatory approach, particularly the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement-driven stance. This has helped her gain the trust of many in the crypto community.
Her advocacy has included her push for Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) to be classified as commodities under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) rather than under the SEC.
On July 27, 2024, she introduced the BITCOIN Act of 2024 at the Bitcoin Nashville convention. The bill would require the US government to establish a Bitcoin strategic reserve by purchasing roughly 5% of the total supply of 21 million BTC and holding it for at least 20 years. She wants the US to use Bitcoin as a reserve asset to hedge against currency debasement. Lummis said:
After Republicans took control of the Senate and House following the 2024 federal elections, she doubled down on her promise to pass the bill.
Lummis even went one step further and suggested that rather than waiting to buy Bitcoin, the US could convert its gold reserves into the cryptocurrency.
The BITCOIN Act is considered by many to be one of the most bullish factors in the current Bitcoin cycle and continues to be the source of much excitement in the crypto community. 
Adam Back, the co-founder and CEO of Blockstream and inventor of Hashcash, predicted that, if implemented, it could propel Bitcoin to a valuation of over $1 million.
Basel Ismail, CEO of investment analytics platform Blockcircle, told Cointelegraph that if the bill is passed in the US, it will “signal most G20 nations” to follow suit, triggering a domino effect.
Maya Parbhoe: Creating a new Bitcoin nation
Maya Parbhoe, a presidential candidate in Suriname, has an ambitious vision: create a Bitcoin nation deeply integrated with crypto.
Her plan for Suriname goes beyond making Bitcoin legal tender — she wants to dismantle the central bank, cut taxes, privatize public services, issue national Bitcoin bonds and pursue widespread deregulation.
In 2023, she teamed up with Samson Mow, CEO of the Bitcoin accelerator Jan3, which played a crucial role in El Salvador’s Bitcoin transformation. She almost accomplished the goal of making Bitcoin legal tender in Suriname, but she says corruption derailed her efforts, which motivated her to seek change through politics. 
In October 2024, she announced her candidacy for the May 2025 elections, promising to put Suriname on a Bitcoin standard within a year if she wins.
While many politicians have only recently embraced crypto, Parbhoe has been involved with Bitcoin for the past decade and firmly believes in Satoshi Nakamoto’s values.
In 2014, her curiosity led her to Bitcoin, and she found a lifelong cause, as she shared with Cointelegraph:
Parbhoe’s vision and efforts to root out corruption have gained support from many in the Bitcoin community. However, only time will tell if the momentum she’s building will be enough to assume power and reshape the country’s future.
Perianne Boring: Tireless Bitcoin lobbyist
US President-elect Donald Trump has made several promises that, if fulfilled, could make the country overwhelmingly pro-crypto. However, US regulators and politicians haven’t always been so crypto-friendly.
Perianne Boring, founder and CEO of the blockchain advocacy group The Digital Chamber, has long been a tireless advocate for crypto-friendly policies on the front lines.
The Crypto Voter Bloc has made its voice heard, and we now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world. pic.twitter.com/3Sp3vo6qwJ
In 2018, Forbes named Boring one of “America’s Top 50 Women in Tech,” representing her powerful influence in the US blockchain sector.
Boring is an early adopter, having learned about Bitcoin in 2011 while working on Capitol Hill. She served as an economic analyst for a member of the House Financial Services Committee, and her political experience and knowledge of Bitcoin led her to her current role.
She is a fierce defender of clear crypto policies and has criticized the SEC for what many in the crypto industry consider “regulation by enforcement.” She argues that the CFTC should oversee cryptocurrencies, as “cryptocurrencies are commodities.”
Her proactive approach may have landed her on the shortlist of candidates to run the CFTC, according to Fox Business, offering her the possibility to enact crypto-friendly regulations if she is nominated and confirmed. 
She could become a pivotal figure in crypto regulation, especially if the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21) is enacted. FIT21 would clarify the roles of the CFTC and SEC, establishing that most digital assets failing the SEC’s “Howey test” for securities would fall under the CFTC’s authority, particularly in spot markets.
Natalie Brunell: Educating the masses about crypto
Natalie Brunell is a prominent figure in the crypto space, known for her role as a Bitcoin advocate and educator.
Brunell hosts Coin Stories, a highly popular Bitcoin-focused podcast, where she interviews key voices in Bitcoin and economics. Her work helps bridge complex financial concepts with personal stories, making Bitcoin accessible to a broad audience.
Brunell’s career began in traditional media, where she worked as an investigative reporter and TV journalist for over a decade. Her pivot to Bitcoin came after witnessing her family’s financial struggles during the 2008 financial crisis, which led her to question systemic issues in the traditional financial system.
Since then, her program has featured crypto-related guests such as Michael Saylor, Peter Schiff, PlanB, Anthony Pompliano, Willy Woo, Raoul Pal, Dan Held, Peter McCormack and Jimmy Song, among others.
Her journey from traditional media to full-time Bitcoin advocacy underscores her commitment to reshaping public understanding of money and technology.
Lyn Alden: Bitcoin researcher
Investor and stock analyst Lyn Alden has emerged as a prominent voice in the realms of macroeconomic analysis and investment strategy. She participates actively with crypto thought leaders to offer her perspective and make sense of the crypto markets.
Alden is skilled at making complex analysis simple for the average Joe. In 2024, she commissioned a research report titled “Bitcoin: A Global Liquidity Barometer” that explored the strong correlation between Bitcoin’s 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 approximately 83% of the time, a rate higher than other major asset classes like gold and stocks. 
This perspective highlights Bitcoin’s potential to benefit from favorable liquidity conditions while acknowledging its volatility and dependence on broader macroeconomic shifts.
Margot Paez: Fighting environmental misinformation
One of the most common criticisms against cryptocurrencies is that the negative environmental effects wrought by crypto mining are too destructive. However, this narrative has begun to shift.
Bitcoin uses proof-of-work (PoW) as its consensus mechanism, which requires intense computing power to generate new blocks on the blockchain. According to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Bitcoin consumes around 185 terawatt-hours per year as of Dec. 17 — more than Egypt and Poland.
Margot Paez, a fellow at the Bitcoin Policy Institute and an environmental sustainability consultant, has conducted research challenging the notion that Bitcoin is harmful to the environment. She argues that Bitcoin’s mining flexibility and location-agnostic nature can, counterintuitively, accelerate the global transition to renewable energy while helping balance the energy grid.
Her active role in awareness campaigns backed up by data has contributed to a better understanding of Bitcoin mining.
Ophelia Snyder: Crypto ETF specialist
Bitcoin price rally in 2024 is strongly correlated with the approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). BlackRock’s BTC ETF has become its most successful ETF launch ever, flipping its gold ETFs through consecutive records of capital inflows.
Ophelia Snyder, co-founder and president of 21.co — a sponsor and subadvisor for ARK Invest’s spot Bitcoin and Ether ETF — has been a key figure on the front line of setting up several ETFs.
On Nov. 1, 2018, she launched the world’s first crypto index exchange-traded product in Switzerland through 21.co subsidiary 21Shares.
One of Synder’s significant achievements is collaborating with Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest to launch spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US. Her efforts have been instrumental in legitimizing crypto assets for traditional investors by providing easy, secure market access.