Key Players Shaping the World of Crypto Regulations

• Significant Developments in Crypto Regulations
• Annual Most Influential List
• The Most Influential: A Breakdown
• Other Notable Individuals
• State Regulators and Crypto
• Impactful Legal Minds
• CFTC and SEC Staff

Significant Developments in Crypto Regulations

There has been a great deal of excitement and change in the world of cryptocurrency regulation this year. This article will cover some key individuals and their substantial contributions to the evolving dynamic between cryptocurrency and government regulation.

Annual Most Influential List

An annual Most Influential list has been meticulously compiled, highlighting the 50 individuals who have significantly impacted the cryptocurrency world over the past year. Developers, activists, and numerous legal/regulatory professionals have been recognized. This article will solely focus on individuals linked to the regulatory and legal aspects of crypto.

The Most Influential: A Breakdown

Not ranking the individuals but merely recognizing their influence, the Most Influential list includes the likes of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, AUSA Nicholas Roos, and the team of prosecutors who successfully secured a conviction on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy against FTX$3.28 -5.38%'s Sam Bankman-Fried. Despite their high profiles, these individuals continue their tireless pursuit of justice within the cryptocurrency sector.

Other Notable Individuals

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, despite not having a significant regulatory impact this year, continues to cast a long shadow over the industry, influencing how lawmakers and regulators engage with the sector. New York Department of Financial Services Superintendent Adrienne Harris continues her work building out rules for the cryptocurrency space, while New York Attorney General Letitia James has initiated several suits that suggest her office may be looking more broadly at the sector.

State Regulators and Crypto

State regulators, including Joe Rotunda, Amanda Senn, Tung Chan, Clothilde Hewlett, and many others, have been very active over the past few years, taking action against companies like Coinbase. State regulators may not garner as much attention as federal regulators, but their actions undoubtedly shape the crypto landscape.

Impactful Legal Minds

On the legal front, Ripple General Counsel Stuart Alderoty deserves recognition for his efforts in successfully navigating Ripple to July's ruling. Similarly, Grayscale General Counsel Craig Salm and outside counsel Donald Verrilli Jr. managed to argue that an SEC rejection of Grayscale's bitcoin exchange-traded fund conversion application was arbitrary.

CFTC and SEC Staff

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Rostin Behnam and Commissioners Kristin Johnson, Caroline Pham, Christy Goldsmith-Romero, and Summer Mersinger, have been instrumental in bringing enforcement actions. Similarly, Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioners Hester Peirce, Mark Uyeda, Caroline Crenshaw, and Jaime Lizárraga have played a key role in executing enforcement actions. The staff of both the CFTC and SEC have been doing substantial behind the scenes work on enforcement actions and rulemaking.

Edited by Jonathan Stoker