Eclipsing its glory in previous years, the crypto ecosystem managed to maintain a spotlight for a year throughout 2021. Key catalysts include widespread adoption of bitcoinBTC), a meme coin frenzy driven by Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Dogecoin (DOGE) and the proactive participation of popular celebrities and authority figures.
The year 2021 saw a greater influx of influencers and celebrities into space than ever. From mainstream tech entrepreneurs and presidents to rappers and reality TV stars, celebrities have gotten involved with cryptocurrencies in their own way. While some chose to create their own versions of crypto ecosystems and tokens, others helped spread awareness of various projects.
As a tribute to all those who showed their involvement in our world of cryptocurrencies, let's take a look at some of the most influential celebrities who left a mark on the cryptocurrency ecosystem, in no particular order.
Snoop dogg
Legendary rapper Snoop Dogg has always been an early adopter and promoter of technology and lifestyle products. Although a little late, the musician entry the crypto space through an NFT collaboration called "Decentralized Dogg."
Snoop's widespread popularity has also prompted many token creators to trade cryptocurrencies under the Snoop Dogg brand in recent years, but the musician has warned investors not to get involved in such projects.
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- Coldie (@Coldie) November 29, 2021
Nayib B Clock
As President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele has been the torchbearer of the widespread adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender. In addition to playing an important role in legalize Bitcoin and building relevant infrastructure to support the Bitcoin economy, Bukele remains active on Twitter to announce his government's various Bitcoin-driven initiatives.
Despite initial strong opposition against the use of Bitcoin, Bukele now acquires Bitcoin whenever its market value drops. Complementing this move, the Salvadoran government has been reinvesting unrealized Bitcoin earnings to accelerate the development of the Central American country.
First steps...
#Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/duhHvmEnym
- Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) September 28, 2021
Elon musk
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made his mark on cryptocurrencies when he began publicly backing Dogecoin (DOGE) in 2020. However, Musk continues to show support for meme coin committing to accept payments in DOGE for various products and services offered by their companies.
As a result of Musk's support, the market price of the DOGE token has multiplied by several despite being created for the purpose of mocking the crypto ecosystem. DOGE's popularity has also sprouted dog-based meme tokens, with Shiba Inu (SHIB) being one of the most prominent.
See: TIME 2021 Person of the Year @Elon Musk analyze cryptocurrency #TIMEPOY https://t.co/FfwEGxW7LX pic.twitter.com/5BXAZky0LS
- TIME TIME) December 13, 2021
Naomi osaka
Naomi Osaka, one of Japan's top professional tennis players, announced her entry into the crypto space after diversifying her portfolio into cryptocurrencies, noting the excitement around Dogecoin.
Osaka's introduction to cryptocurrencies was powered by the crypto community on Twitter. The athlete has also launched and promoted various NFT initiatives and, in the process, set a record as the most expensive NFTs sold by a professional tennis player.
Lionel messi
International soccer legend Lionel Messi was one of the highest-profile players to tie into the crypto ecosystem in 2021. When Messi signed the deal to join the Paris Saint-Germain soccer club, a part of the salary package including the payment in the club's fan tokens.
Fan Tokens are part of a growing sub-ecosystem that aims to increase fan engagement by allowing them to weigh in on certain club decisions. Other popular soccer clubs that have introduced fan chips include Manchester City and AC Milan, just to name a few.
Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg's entry into cryptocurrencies has been highly anticipated since Facebook published the Libra cryptocurrency whitepaper in 2019. Despite federal pressure to end cryptocurrency experiments, Zuckerberg renowned your social media company Facebook a Meta on October 28, positioning itself as one of the first in the incipient metaverse ecosystem.
Meta envisions developing a centralized metaverse world that can serve as a source of income for online creators. Following in Zuckerberg's footsteps, major tech giants, including Microsoft, Epic Games, and Alibaba, have begun exploring business opportunities within the metaverse ecosystem.
Announcing @Goal - new Facebook company name. Meta is helping to build the metaverse, a place where we will play and connect in 3D. Welcome to the next chapter of social connection. pic.twitter.com/ywSJPLsCoD
- Meta (@Meta) October 28, 2021
Kim kardashian
This year's crypto rumor also caught up with Kim Kardashian. The reality TV superstar marked his entry into cryptocurrency by promoting Ethereum Max (EMAX), an untested cryptocurrency token, on his official Instagram account.
While the move to market (or rather, complicit) of a cryptocurrency has become common practice for influencers across all demographics, Kardashian's involvement in promoting EMAX fell through when the Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority. United accused her of misleading followers by promoting speculative tokens. The FCA has also noted that sCammers pay influencers to promote get-rich-quick schemes and they tend to run away with investors' money.
Kim Kardashian has also previously used her Instagram account to promote physical Bitcoin chips on a charity poker night.
soulja boy
American rapper Soulja Boy has been one of the most vocal celebrities on Crypto Twitter in 2021. From showing his support for cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin through Twitter to selling NFT under the "Crank That" brand, Soulja Boy made sure his presence was felt throughout the crypto community.
The hip-hop star has publicly revealed that he owns Binance Coin (BNB), Tron (TRX) and altcoins. In 2018, Soulja Boy released a song called "Bitcoin" and even delivered the lyrics to the song: "I made a hundred racks with Bitcoin."
While the rapper's input was well received by the community, he soon sparked controversy after allegedly revealing that he was paid to promote a yet-to-be-established crypto project.
Paris hilton
Paris hilton entered the NFT wave in 2021. Despite its seemingly late entry, Hilton claims to have invested in Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) when BTC was valued below $ 1,000.
In addition, the American personality took to Twitter to Introduce his two new pets, called "Crypto Hilton" and "Ether Reum".
I'm so excited for #NFTs! Here's why I think #NFTs They are the future and everything you need to know to get into the game. https://t.co/mZHqsVqn9Z
- Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) April 7, 2021
Magnus carlsen
Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is among the youngest celebrities leading the crypto adoption campaign through various chess-focused events and initiatives. In association with Chess Champs, a collectible marketplace for NFT, Carlsen and other professional chess players competed for NFT trophies and Bitcoin cash prizes and cryptocurrencies.
Initiatives to introduce the chess community to cryptocurrencies were primarily driven by FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange founded by Sam Bankman-Fried. The Norwegian chess player is also the world's first Bitcoin chess champion, winning over 0.6 BTC in addition to a cash prize in a tournament hosted by FTX.
Special mentions
Unlike in previous years, when cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and enthusiasts did most of the heavy lifting, top celebrities took it upon themselves to promote cryptocurrencies by minting and selling NFTs, participating in organized events in the Metaverse, promoting token deals, or simply showing support by buying Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. .
With that in mind, we also recall some of the other popular figures that are delving into cryptocurrencies. Special mentions include:
Randi zuckerberg
If you think the name sounds familiar, that's because it is. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's sister Randi entered cryptocurrency in November for join Okcoin crypto exchange as a brand advisory board.
Randi too aware a YouTube video titled "What are Meme Coins and Tokens in Crypto?" where he discusses the growth of DOGE and SHIB and provides guidance to his viewers on how to make solid investments in crypto.
Indian film actors
For India, 2021 has been an extraordinary year for massive crypto exposure, as major players participated in numerous ad campaigns and crypto promotion initiatives.
The impetus for greater penetration of cryptocurrencies in a market with more than 1.3 billion people was motorized via local crypto exchanges, including CoinDCX, WazirX, and ZebPay. The companies partnered with influential celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan to promote cryptocurrency trading and purchases.
On the other hand, members of the Indian government proposed an anti-crypto bill that sought to ban all private cryptocurrencies without clarifying the meaning of the word "private". India still maintains a gray area when deciding on the legality of cryptocurrencies.
Formula One
The 2021 Formula One World Championship races saw increased participation from the crypto community, as companies such as Crypto.com, FuturoCoin, Bitci.com, Socios.com, and Tezos sponsored teams and supported their environmental and wellness initiatives.
Previously, the crypto community has organized numerous crowdfunding events to help NASCAR racers get back on track and participate in professional races.
The #dogecar It has crashed.
TV: NBCSN pic.twitter.com/eCb1PosOI3
- NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 19, 2021