Foreign media selects the most influential figures of 2021: SBF, Bitcoin developers, Musk make the list!

For the crypto community, 2021 has been an exceptionally important year. Many once sci-fi imaginations and concepts have leaped into the mainstream spotlight, including the metaverse concept, NFTs, GameFi, and DAOs. Crypto media outlet "CoinDesk" has voted for the top ten most influential individuals or teams globally and created NFT portraits for them. The selected individuals include FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou, Bitcoin's Taproot developers, and others.

Top 10 Most Influential Figures

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried

• Reason for selection: Secured the exclusive naming rights for the NBA Miami Heat's home stadium: FTX Arena. Additionally, SBF became the youngest billionaire through his crypto ventures and made it onto the Forbes billionaires list.
• NFT artist: Pindar Van Arman
• NFT platform: SuperRare
• 20% of sales will be donated to: The Giving Block / art therapy at a local hospital

During an interview with CoinDesk, SBF stated that with the crypto market boom, more institutions are entering the blockchain space. Unless the market deteriorates in the future, this trend is likely to continue. It is worth noting that FTX's rapid growth this year has led to concerns that a downturn in the crypto market could impact FTX.

SBF mentioned that FTX's partnerships, naming deals, endorsements, etc., account for less than 10% of the annual revenue, so even if the market turns, FTX will not be affected. Of course, if Bitcoin drops below $20,000, FTX's profits may be impacted, but a scenario where FTX incurs a loss is unlikely. Even in a prolonged bear market for Bitcoin, the recent $420 million fundraising round provides a financial firewall.

Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou

• Reason for selection: Launched NBA Top Shot, bringing NFT tokens into the sports industry.
• NFT artist: Panter Xhita
• NFT platform: SuperRare
• 20% of sales will be donated to: Ocean Clean Up

Bitcoin Taproot Developers

• Reason for selection: Bitcoin Taproot is the biggest upgrade to the Bitcoin protocol in years, and these developers have made outstanding contributions to it.
• NFT artist: Stellabelle
• NFT platform: Foundation
• 20% of sales will be donated to: Sloth Conservation Foundation