Top Ten Crypto Newsmakers of 2024

For lack of a better word, 2024 was historic for the crypto community as several major events were witnessed in this roller-coaster of a year.
The year 2024 marked several key milestones for the crypto community, be it Bitcoin Halving that resulted in further consolidation of the mining industry or Bitcoin finally breaking the $100,000 barrier in the bull run or the overall market cap of Crypto industry rising to $3.78 Trillion from $1.2 T in 2023 or a 78-year-old maverick politician winning the U.S. Presidential elections, literally riding on the crypto wave.
The year was also not short of drama as we witnessed jailing of Sam Bankman Fried of FTX and CZ of Binance and intense criticism of Nischal Shetty of WazirX who withheld funds worth Rs 2500 crore. Various memecoin projects also came under criticism for promoting self-harm, violent behaviour or for orchestrating rugpull scams. 2024 also saw a tug of war between the crypto community and securities and exchange commission (SEC) over regulations in US.
In 2024, crypto mattered. Period.
In this article, we bring to you the top ten news makers from 2024 who made a huge impact on the crypto economy and the global crypto village, marking their footprints through the sands of time.
10. Nischal Shetty

Some call him a entrepreneurial prodigy, some an outright scammer and liar while for some, he is victim of an unfortunate hack. 38- year-old Nischal Shetty, co-founder of what was once India’s largest crypto currency exchange- WazirX- remained one of the most controversial figures in 2024.
After the WazirX hack of Rs 2000 crore surfaced in July this year, Nischal has been on the radar of angry customers and law enforcement agencies, thanks to some poor decisions made on part of the WazirX management.
Some of the most controversial steps taken by Nischal post the hack, include halting withdrawal of remaining funds from the exchange, scooping out Rs 100 crore from remaining user funds for management expenses, lying to 4.4. million WazirX consumers over ownership tussle with Binance and forcing them to accept a socialistic 55/45 loss sharing policy post the hack. What has displeased WazirX users most is the fact that an Indian exchange is being tried in Singapore Court whilst Nischal is himself living in Dubai.
Nischal has made a lot of promises to his users for 2025 that include quick dispersal of remaining funds, re-starting trading on WazirX and launching of India’s biggest decentralized exchange, to be registered again in Singapore. Some things never change, I guess.
9. Hester Peirce

One of the commissioners in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Hester Peirce is lovingly called “Crypto Mom” for her pro-crypto stance in an otherwise, extremely hostile, five year term by SEC led by chairperson Gary Gensler. As SEC commissioner, Peirce has supported calls for a favorable approach to regulation of the crypto industry, seeking a balance between industry regularization and consumer protection,.
In 2024, Peirce batted for proper and reasonable cryptocurrency regulations and also denounced a few enforcement activities of SEC calling them an “overreach”. Her best advocacy this year was the pushing for the formation of a safe harbor rule for crypto projects to enable the developers to tinker longer without shutdown threats.
Since her appointment at the SEC in 2018, she has made headlines mostly for urging support for new technologies but with a word of caution. As one of the most influential persons discussing the future of the policies waiting for the crypto sector, Peirce’s impact is immense and her work in 2024 makes sure that those in charge of decision-making in Washington, D.C., continue to include the crypto community in shaping blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation in the future.
8. Sam Bankman Fried

Poster Boy of “Crypto Bros”, Sam Bankman Fried had been living the dream, up until 2023 when FTX, world’s most popular exchange that he founded, came crashing. As FTX was accused of mismanagement, fraudulent activities and using clients’ money to trade and invest in highly dangerous ventures, Sam Bankman became the target of SEC and other law enforcement agencies. The FTX crash led to billions of dollars in loss, and having a highly negative impact on investors, raised doubts in the stability of the crypto market.
Bankman-Fried’s trial and conviction in 2024 only helped to further cement the end of the road for him as he was handed a 25 year jail term. He was convicted for fraud and conspiracy; hence he remains as one of the most famous personalities within the crypto sphere to face legal repercussions regarding the crypto market. His trial and the information that was announced in the course of the trial became an example of what could turn into a modern fairy tale for admirers of the level of cryptocurrencies and potential investors.
The story of Bankman-Fried is the story of Icarus, the golden winged boy, who was warned not to fly too high and close to the sun, and ultimately he did and his wings had melted, that led to him crashing down.
7. People of Bhutan

In November 2024, the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan came into the international spotlight when it was revealed that it owns about $1 Billion in Bitcoins, placing it among the largest national bitcoin holders in the world. Bhutan, otherwise known for its happiness index, has utilized its enormous hydropower resources to mine Bitcoin and build an impressive BTC reserve that can put major nations to shame.
The policy of mining bitcoin in Bhutan is built on the concept of being environmentally friendly considering the fact that the country has a vast deposit of hydropower which it can exploit in its mining process. This green mining model fits well with the sustainability goals of Bhutan as it sets the country as an example of a country that wants to merge cryptocurrency and renewable energy.
The pegged reserve accounts for Bitcoins and mining activities in the country is perceived as having positive implications of the country’s economic diversification considering the volatility of the international economy. Though Bhutan has not disclosed the extent to which it owns the Bitcoin, the increasing engagement in the use of bitcoins show that the country is embracing the future and coming up with measures that would see them embrace technological advancement without causing havoc to the environment.
6. Michael Saylor

American entrepreneur and founder of MicroStrategy, Michael Saylor, continue to dominate the news cycle in crypto domain, with his extremely bullish stance on Bitcoin. As BTC reached unprecedented heights in the current bull run, MicroStrategy under Saylor continued its purchasing spree.
Popular for his extremely bullish stance on Bitcoin, Saylor ventured into the world of digital currencies in 2020 after MicroStrategy became the first publicly traded company to invest in Bitcoin as the primary treasury reserve asset. Thanks to his visionary approach, MicroStrategy has shifted toward becoming a tech giant focused on cryptocurrencies as the meeting point between legacy business and progressive cryptocurrencies.
In 2024, Saylor has been more bullish about Bitcoin than ever before. During a recent interview, he claimed he was not afraid to call Bitcoin a “Cyber Manhattan”. According to Saylor, Bitcoin is something more than a store of value; it is a digital gold with all the potential to revolutionize the economy. His comments are consistent with his historical position that the world’s largest cryptocurrency is a store of value and monetary tool of the future, especially with ongoing volatility.
5. Changpeng Zhao (CZ)

For Changpeng Zhao, or CZ, the founder of Binance, 2024 was a roller coaster ride, as the world saw the crypto maverick getting jailed for four months for failing to comply with US regulations and then, emerge from prison in his new ‘Walter White’ look.
CZ or Changpeng Zhao has been instrumental figure in crypto world but in 2024, he was cornered by the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that accused Binance of flouting financial laws and its management of clients’ money. This came at the same time as other regulators in the U.S. began cracking down on crypto exchanges.
There were indications that CZ may be charged in criminal cases and this gave rise to rumour that he wanted to resign. Nevertheless, CZ remained in the news cycle throughout 2024 as Indian users of WazirX also urged him to intervene and help them with funds. However, much to their dismay, CZ out rightly refused to help in the matter.
4. Elon Musk

Tech Mogul, maverick Billionaire, owner of X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX and Tesla, and now the head of Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.), Elon Musk, has had an eventful year in 2024.
One of the loudest supporters of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Musk remains an unconventional and highly influential figure, who chose Trump’s libertarian view on the economy as the perfect fit for his vision on technological and space transformation. In 2024, Musk invested in Trump’s campaign, both emotionally and materialistically, holding opulent fundraisers and leveraging his contacts in the tech and crypto industries.
In 2024, Musk was continually speaking about popular memecoin Dogecoin as an ideal asset for the future of money. He took it a step further by declaring that he will formally join the D.O.G.E team with Vivek Ramaswamy. A fierce proponent of free speech, Musk has come under fire for allowing hate speech and racism to penetrate X.
3. Nayib Bukele

President of El Salvador, former young Businessman, and probably the first Crypto or Bitcoin enthusiast president in history, Nayib ‘Chivo’ Bukele is on number third in the list of top crypto news makers of 2024.
Bukele is known as the “coolest dictator” on the internet; a reformer who brought radical changes to the law and order and economic conditions of Central American nation El Salvador, otherwise ravaged by gang violence and corruption. Be it imprisonment of over 70,000 suspected gang members, enforcing of tougher laws and a countrywide campaign against violence means Bukele made a point to turn El Salvadaor into a safe country again.
Apart from his zero tolerance image, Bukele and his government has heavily invested in Bitcoin. During his presidency, Nayib legalized Bitcoin as a currency and also suggested using the country’s volcanoes for green mining. His bold initiatives are revolutionizing how countries can engage with Bitcoin mining in a greener way.
Bukele also met Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk in September at the company’s Gigafactory in Austin Texas 2024. They took several hours deliberating on Artificial intelligence , Cryptocurrency among other fields, respecting each other’s views. Bukele is wildly popular across Latin America and is seen as one of the most impactful leaders of the youth today.
2. Donald Trump

Until July in 2024, Trump was trailing behind Joe Biden, barely four months before the U.S. presidential elections kicks off. Trump had shown support for the crypto community in U.S. but it was a relationship still in nascent stage with both sides shying away from each other.
Then during a Pennsylvania rally on July 13, Trump was shot at by a 20-year-old assassin, as he barely survived with an ear wound. The assassination attempt changed the trajectory of the U.S. presidential elections as Elon Musk and later, the crypto community came out in his full support.
Trump also made efforts to reach out to the community, as he promised to turn America into Bitcoin capital of the world, mine every single Bitcoin in America and create a Bitcoin strategic reserve asset. He also promised to fire SEC chair Gary Gensler, highly unpopular with the crypto community, on the first day of him assuming office in 2025.
In fact, Trump’s victory against Kamala on November 4 and 5 was instrumental in Bitcoin reaching unprecedented heights and finally breaking the $100,000 barrier. Post his victory, Trump announced setting up of D.O.G.E. under Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and has promised extensive plans to promote the crypto investors’ interests.
1. Satoshi Nakamoto

The real OG of blockchain, Satoshi Nakamoto, credited as the creator of Bitcoin, refuses to fade away from the public memory, even 15 years after disappearing into oblivion. Satoshi remained the top newsmaker in the crypto community in 2024 as there were several attempts made to expose his/her/their identity.
From an HBO documentary claiming developer Peter Todd to be the real Satoshi to a jester organizing a chaotic press conference in London, everyone wanted to see the face behind Nakamoto but the mystery continues till date. There were also fears that Satoshi might face jail time if at all their identity is brought to public.
As Bitcoin reached unprecedented heights in the 2024 bull run, Satoshi’s BTC fortunes turned over $100 Billion. The man, the legend remains elusive till date even as the world wonders who that fabled creator is.
Also Read: Why We Will and Should Never Know Who Satoshi Nakamoto Is?