The blockchain and cryptocurrency sector is significantly shaped by the contributions of women who have been instrumental in defining the current landscape and are paving the way for the future of finance.
Their insights and expertise are not only helping transform traditional financial systems but are inspiring a new generation of female leaders in this field.
Here are 10 women who are leading the crypto revolution:
Caitlin Long is the founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, a Wyoming-based bank that serves as both a digital asset custodian and a traditional financial institution. It securely manages keys, tokens, and other digital assets while offering conventional banking services.
She first got involved with bitcoin in 2012 as a managing director at Morgan Stanley (MS) in New York between 2007 and 2016. Her journey into the crypto space began after the 2014 Mt. Gox hack, which underscored the need for a company bridging digital and traditional finance. Prior to focusing on digital assets, Long spent 22 years on Wall Street, holding roles at Salomon Brothers, Credit Suisse, and others.
Denelle Dixon is CEO and executive director of the Stellar Development Foundation, a nonprofit that makes financial services accessible to everyone through blockchain technology. Dixon also spearheaded the launch of Stellar Aid Assist, an innovative aid disbursement system used by organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Rescue Committee. Additionally, Ukraine’s government partnered with the Stellar network to develop a central bank digital currency.
Elizabeth Stark is a blockchain entrepreneur and educator who founded Lightning Labs in 2016. The company develops the Lightning Network, a technology designed to address bitcoin’s scalability challenges by enabling faster, cheaper transactions. Stark is also a fellow at Coin Center, a prominent digital currency policy organization, and serves as an advisor to Chia, a company developing a blockchain protocol. Previously, she taught courses on the future of the internet at Stanford University and Yale University and was a visiting fellow at Yale’s Information Society Project.
Kathleen Breitman co-founded Tezos in 2016 alongside her husband, Arthur. Tezos is a blockchain network that enables smart contract deployment and peer-to-peer transactions, powered by its native cryptocurrency, Tezos (XTZ). In the early stages of the project, she served as the CEO of Dynamic Ledger Solutions, the company responsible for developing the initial version of the Tezos platform.
Before founding Tezos, Breitman was involved in the blockchain ecosystem as early as 2014. She worked with Accenture (ACN), applying blockchain technology to business solutions, and later joined R3, a New York–based firm that specializes in blockchain platforms for payments and settlements. Her experience across both traditional finance and blockchain innovation has been instrumental in developing and growing the Tezos ecosystem.
Sandy Kaul is the head of digital assets and industry advisory services at Franklin Templeton (BEN), a global investment management firm overseeing $1.4 trillion in assets. Her interest in blockchain began in 2016 after learning about the Ethereum network and recognizing the transformative potential of smart contracts.
Kaul anticipated the rise of tokenized structures in investment and asset management, a trend she highlighted in a report that has since gained traction across the crypto and financial sectors.
Patricia Trompeter is the CEO of Sphere 3D (ANY), a carbon-neutral cryptocurrency mining company. Before joining Sphere 3D, she served as the chief financial officer of GE Capital IT Solutions (GE), General Electric’s information technology subsidiary.
Trompeter’s experience as a foster child who was ultimately adopted and became part of her family’s first generation to go to college has led her to mentor other first-generation students and women from underrepresented backgrounds.
Staci Warden is the CEO of the Algorand Foundation, a Singapore-based organization that oversees the development and growth of the Algorand blockchain network. With extensive experience across more than 50 countries, she has collaborated with governments and businesses, advocating for the use of crypto and blockchain technology to address real-world challenges and promote global financial inclusion.
Before joining Algorand, Warden held a leadership role at the Milken Institute, where she spearheaded initiatives focused on capital market development, financial technology, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain. Her career also includes significant positions at JPMorgan (JPM), Nasdaq (NDAQ), and the Department of the Treasury, where she worked on projects ranging from financial services to economic policy.
Meltem Demirors is the founder and general partner at Crucible, an early-stage investment fund focused on building the foundations of the digital future. Launched in 2024, Crucible aims to identify and support innovative projects that shape the technology and finance landscape.
Prior to founding Crucible, Demirors served as chief strategy officer at CoinShares, Europe’s largest digital asset investment firm where she played a pivotal part in shaping the company’s strategic vision and expanding its offerings in the rapidly evolving crypto market. Her journey in the crypto industry began in 2015 when she joined the founding team at Digital Currency Group, where she helped lay the groundwork for investment in blockchain technology and digital assets.
Before venturing into the cryptocurrency space, Demirors worked in the oil and gas industry.
Arianna Simpson currently serves as a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where she focuses on investing in digital assets. Before joining Andreessen Horowitz in 2020, she founded Autonomous Partners, an investment fund dedicated to cryptocurrencies and digital assets, and helped launch Crystal Towers Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund.
Simpson’s background includes roles in sales and product management at Facebook (META) and BitGo, an enterprise security company specializing in bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Gracy Chen is a former TV host and current CEO of Bitget, a leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. With over a decade of experience in business management, marketing, and investment, she has significantly expanded the company’s strategic partnerships, including collaborating with global icons such as Lionel Messi under her leadership. Additionally, Chen served as a panelist and judge on the reality TV show Killer Whales, where Web3 entrepreneurs pitch their crypto and nonfungible token (NFT) projects to industry experts.
