Political Figures Lead Crypto Influence Rankings
CoinDesk released its annual Most Influential list this week, and the results show something interesting. For 2025, policymakers—especially American ones—took center stage. U.S. President Donald Trump topped the list as the first individual recognized, which makes sense when you think about it. He’s signed executive orders, pushed Congress on crypto legislation, and his family’s crypto ventures have generated significant attention.
But it’s not just Trump. The list includes several other political figures who’ve shaped crypto policy this year. French Hill, Bill Hagerty, Bo Hines—these names might not be household ones outside crypto circles, but they’ve been instrumental in legislative discussions. The industry seems to be reaching a point where political influence matters as much as technological innovation.
The Narrative Battle Continues
Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association, made a point earlier this week that stuck with me. She said the industry needs to control its own narrative. “The public narrative matters, and we’re going to lead it,” she noted. That’s been a challenge for years—fighting perceptions that crypto is mainly for money laundering or lacks real use cases.
Now there’s a new narrative emerging: crypto as a tool for political figures to profit. Trump’s involvement brings this into sharp focus. It’s a different kind of challenge for the industry, one that’s less about technology and more about perception and ethics.
Legislative Progress Remains Uncertain
As of Thursday, there’s still no firm schedule for Senate markup hearings on market structure legislation. There will likely be two separate hearings—one from the Banking Committee and another from Agriculture Committee. That’s typical Washington procedure, but it adds complexity.
Democrats circulated a document earlier this week outlining their priorities. Many points resembled their September framework, though they’ve apparently accepted some parts of the existing discussion draft. The sticking points are what you might expect: financial stability provisions, market integrity, and ethics.
Those ethics provisions seem particularly pointed at Trump and his family’s crypto interests. Senator Cynthia Lummis mentioned she’d been negotiating with the White House, and that specific point had been contentious. Whether it could derail negotiations entirely remains unclear.
Time Is Running Short
What worries me is the calendar. Congress doesn’t have much time left in 2025 to make real progress. Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott did release a statement on Thursday, saying they’re making “real progress toward passing digital asset market structure legislation.” He mentioned conversations with Bank of America, Citi, and Wells Fargo CEOs.
Scott’s statement talked about cementing America’s role as “the crypto capital of the world” while protecting investors. It’s the kind of balanced language you’d expect, but the devil is always in the details. And those details—particularly around ethics and financial stability—are proving difficult to resolve.
The rest of CoinDesk’s list includes familiar industry names alongside some surprising ones. Paolo Ardoino from Tether, the Winklevoss twins, David Sacks—these are expected. But seeing Ross Ulbricht and the Lazarus Group on the list shows how the industry’s influence extends into controversial territory.
Perhaps what’s most telling is how political this year’s list has become. When policymakers dominate influence rankings, it suggests the industry is maturing in a particular way. The focus shifts from pure innovation to regulation, legislation, and political maneuvering. That’s not necessarily bad—it’s just different from the early days.
I think we’re seeing crypto’s adolescence, if that makes sense. The wild experimentation phase is giving way to more structured growth, and that naturally involves more engagement with political systems. Whether this leads to better outcomes for users and developers remains to be seen.
