For the first time, Fortune has created a crypto-focused version of its prestigious “40 under 40” honor roll for the most impressive young disruptors in the finance and technology industry, published[1] July 23.
Dubbed “The Ledger 40 under 40,” the list is dedicated to innovators at the helm of the “financial revolution” ushered in by cryptocurrencies, blockchain[2], and other distributed ledger technologies.
Last week, five crypto industry representatives[3] had already clinched[4] four spots on Fortune’s existing “40 under 40” — all of whom reappear in the inaugural Ledger list.
These include the CEO of major U.S[5]. crypto exchange and wallet service Coinbase[6], Brian Armstrong[7], 34, who is ranked first[8] by the Ledger for “catapulting” crypto into the mainstream. “Skinny visionary” Ethereum[9] (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin[10], 24, has been thrice-celebrated on Fortune’s established list and now seals the second spot[11] on the Ledger list.
In third place[12] is Jihan Wu, 32, the co-founder of Beijing-based mining[13] hardware titan Bitmain[14] — reportedly now valued[15] at $12 billion after a recent round of funding. Fortune notes Wu’s support for the “controversial” Bitcoin[16] (BTC) fork, Bitcoin Cash[17] (BCH), as well as his interest in stablecoins[18] and aspiration to develop artificial intelligence (AI) mining chips.
The list includes figures who have decamped from the traditional financial sector to become crypto industry front runners, alongside those who aim to lead the “revolution from within.”
