While there are notable women in blockchain and fintech as a whole, crypto has always been seen as a concept women just don’t get.
But women are actually playing a key role in the crypto revolution. The number of female users and investors in crypto is steadily rising. Gemini’s State of U.K. Crypto 2021 report revealed 41.6% of UK crypto investors, and 40% of those planning to invest, were women.
However, male investors are still in the majority, perhaps because bitcoin isn’t marketed towards women. If Bitcoin companies are to achieve mainstream adoption, they will need to improve these figures. Having more (or any) female speakers at events, gender-neutral prives for trading competitions, and a narrative that intentionally includes women will generate more customers and more profit.
Behind the scenes, Teana Baker-Taylor, UK general manager of Crypto.com, says she’s found there are actually more women working in crypto than in many areas of traditional finance, including more women in leadership roles. Many have been driven to the industry by similar motives. “We saw a system that was broken and didn’t work for everyone,” says Baker-Taylor. “We wanted to create change.”
But again, women are still in the minority, despite a growing body of research that says gender-balanced teams tend to be more successful, especially in fields that require a lot of innovation – which crypto certainly does. Companies that are more gender-diverse have higher levels of innovation,and those with women directors and board members even more so. And it works the other way round too: companies that are recognised innovators tend to have more women directors.
This means that if crypto is serious about upsetting the status quo, it needs to actively extend its invitation to women and bring as many people as possible on board.
