The Brazilian cryptocurrency market saw more investors and reached the Brazilian stock exchange in 2021. It became an important part of the Brazilian investment portfolio.
The initiatives of Brazilian blockchain companies have helped to strengthen the crypto community in Brazil. They also took cryptocurrencies to the most diverse segments of society from football, a great national pastime, to civil aviation. Cointelegraph Brasil chose the 10 most important figures in Brazil in 2021, taking into consideration the performance of the companies, their impact on crypto community, and their pioneering spirit.
These are only 10 of the many important people in an ecosystem that spans across the globe. Check out the Cointelegraph Top 100 in 2022 to see more luminaries lighting up cryptocurrency and blockchain industries.
10. Luis Adaime — MOSS
Luis Adaime, CEO and founder at MOSS is a Brazilian company that tokenizes carbon credits using the MCO2 token. MOSS was founded in 2020. It formed several partnerships in Brazil. MOSS’ logo appeared on the Clube de Regatas Flamengo shirt during 2021 Brazilian football season. GOL Linhas Aereas, Hering, and iFood were some of the other relevant partners in carbon offset. MOSS also launched nonfungible tokens, (NFTs), that are aimed at conserving the Amazon forest. The collection that is linked to MCO2 aims at sustainability projects in Brazil.
9. Edilson Osorio — OriginalMy
Edilson Osorio is a Harvard Law School graduate, a computer scientist, professor, and information security specialist. He was a Blockchain and Big Data consultant at ITS Rio and is a member the European Observatory for Blockchain. OriginalMy is the founder and CEO of a legaltech company that uses blockchain technology to authenticate identities, signatures, authorizations, and content.
8. Thiago Cesar — Transfero Swiss
Thiago Cesar, CEO of Transfero Swiss is the issuer the largest stablecoin backed in part by the Brazilian real, BRZ. The stablecoin’s trading volume reached $1.5 billion in 2021, which is the highest figure since its launch in 2019. BRZ was featured on major global exchanges. It is known for its multichain technology that works with Stellar, Solana and Ethereum. Transfero Swiss will also launch cryptocurrency solutions in the country, including a BRZ trading platform that can be used to trade a variety of cryptocurrencies.
7. Fernando Carvalho — QR Capital
Fernando Carvalho, CEO of QR Capital is the controlling shareholder of QR Asset, one the most prominent crypto-asset investment funds of Brazil. QR Capital launched the first DeFi-linked exchange traded fund in Brazil. It included nine cryptocurrencies from Bloomberg’s Galaxy DeFi Index. QR Capital had previously launched ETFs that were exposed to Bitcoin ( TTC), and Ether ( ET). These funds were among the most profitable investments on the Brazilian stock exchange, B3.
6. Primo Rico — Rico
Thiago Nigro, a popular YouTuber and Brazilian businessman, has become a prominent cryptocurrency proponent. He boasts educational videos on YouTube and over 5.5 million subscribers. In 2021, his closeness to the crypto market was highlighted when he disclosed that he was a partner in Brazilian exchange Biscoint via Rico Investimentos. Nigro also launched digital bank Rico in 2021. This fund offers exposure to cryptocurrency through two investment funds.
5. Fernando Ulrich — Liberta Investimentos
Fernando Ulrich has extensive experience in Brazil’s real and financial markets. He is also a student of monetary theories and a passionate advocate for digital currencies. Ulrich worked at Thyssenkrupp, XP Investimentos and was the chief analyst for the cryptocurrency exchange XDEX. He currently works for Liberta Investimentos which is an investment advisory company associated with XP. Ulrich, a prominent Brazilian economist, was the first to publicly validate Bitcoin. He frequently speaks out about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies via his YouTube channel and Twitter.
4. Roberto Campos Neto — Banco Central do Brasil
Roberto Campos Neto is the President of Brazil’s Central Bank. He launched a digital innovation agenda through his management of Pix. This quick transaction system, which was quickly popular among Brazilians, was the financial authority’s Quick Transaction System. Campos Neto is also the leader of the Real Digital digital currency project at the central bank. It is currently in the analysis phase but could begin its first trials as soon as 2023.
DISCOVER COINTELEGRAPH’S TOP 100 IN BLOCKCHAIN 2022
3. Daniel Coquieri — Liqi
Daniel Coquieri is the founder of BitcoinTrade in Brazil. He also founded Liqi 2021. This asset tokenization company quickly rose to prominence on the Brazilian market.
Liqi was established after Ripio sold Bitcoin Trade to Ripio. It later became a partner with Cruzeiro football club and has earned more than $200,000 in Cruzeiro token holders (CRZ). This is due to FIFA’s solidarity system that rewards clubs that provide training for athletes involved in international transactions. Other crypto products have been launched by Liqi, which has received positive reviews from investors.
2. Marcelo Sampaio — Hashdex
Marcelo Sampaio, co-founder and CEO at Hashdex is the largest crypto asset manager on the Brazilian financial markets. The company launched crypto ETFs and Bitcoin on the Brazilian Stock Market in 2021. Hashdex also launched the DeFi ETF to increase the market’s exposure to cryptocurrencies.
1. Reinaldo Rabelo — Mercado Bitcoin
Reinaldo Rebelo, the CEO of Mercado Bitcoin (the largest cryptocurrency exchange in Brazil), is valued at $2.1 million. The exchange has increased the visibility of the Brazilian financial markets to cryptocurrencies over the years and has expanded its operations. It is now considered a mainstream cryptocurrency exchange. It has launched advertising campaigns for large vehicles, sponsored Brazilian football teams, and launched fan tokens from Brazilian football giants on the platform. In addition, it innovates with judiciary bond tokens, and other crypto products.
