2022 was generally considered to be a difficult year for crypto, with Bitcoin’s dramatic slump in value and the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange. But there are two sides to every digital coin. The Forbes Rich List welcomed the arrival of seven new crypto billionaires. That makes 19 in total, and if you look closely, you’ll notice there’s one small thing they all have in common.
Crypto Currency
That’s right, they all use the same changing room at the gym. Crypto has been a male dominated environment from the beginning, but while we’ve yet to see a female crypto billionaire, times are changing, and the following are some of the women who are leading the revolution.
Charlene Fadirepo
Washington, DC based Charlene has spent 20 years working in the banking sector. Two years ago, she launched Guidefi, a digital community aimed at providing financial guidance for women of color. Charlene says she finally “went down the crypto rabbit hole” while we were all confined to quarters in 2020 as the topic kept coming up. Charlene has seen for herself that finance and banking is a very white male dominated environment, and that counts double for crypto.
With Guidefi, Charlene provides an environment in which women of color can explore crypto investment opportunities without the “bro culture mansplaining” that usually accompanies it.
Maria Ho
If you’ve ever watched the World Series of Poker, you will be familiar with Maria Ho. Not only is she a regular host of TV poker shows, she’s also one of the top women players with a WSOP bracelet to her name. As a poker professional, Maria knows all about the challenges of a male-dominated environment. As a crypto enthusiast, she favors Bitcoin poker when she plays online poker tournaments for several reasons.
These include high levels of security, lightning-fast transactions and ease of use from anywhere in the world. Maria has recently signed up as an ambassador for the StormX crypto platform, alongside another famous poker pro, Phil Hellmuth.
Maliha Abidi
Author, artist, activist and now NFT pioneer, it seems there is nothing to which Pakistan-born Californian Maliha Abidi won’t turn her hand. Her NFT collection entitled Women Rise was launched last year with the intention to celebrate women in Web3 and bring more women into the space. The 100,000 NFTs she has developed are designed to represent women from every corner of the globe.
Cleve Mesidor
As executive director of the Blockchain Foundation and leader of the National Policy Network of Women of Color in Blockchain, Cleve Mesidor is on the frontline when it comes to public policy and crypto. A former White House appointee under the Obama administration, she certainly has the pedigree for the task. Cleve believes crypto can offer a pathway to economic empowerment for women and in her view, the future looks bright. She says: “Right now, crypto may appear male dominated, but the future of crypto is gender and racially inclusive.”