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Most Influential 2021: Arianna Simpson
The a16z general partner is investing in the future of the internet, Web 3.
By CoinDesk
Updated May 11, 2023, 6:26 p.m. Published Dec 8, 2021, 5:31 p.m.
Arianna Simpson’s trip to Zimbabwe in 2013 changed her life. But it was the experience of using Western Union, and the platform’s extortionary fees, to send money to the family she sponsored that changed her mind on crypto. Now a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), she helps to manage the massively influential venture capital firm’s $2.2 billion crypto fund. Simpson previously spent time at Facebook and BitGo. She’s also run her own investment funds, Autonomous Partners, which focused on digital assets, and Crystal Towers Capital, which worked with early-stage startups.
The Complete List: CoinDesk’s Most Influential 2021
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What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
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Turkey's Paribu Buys CoinMENA in $240M Deal, Expanding Into High-Growth Crypto Markets
With the acquisition, Paribu gains regulatory foothold in Bahrain and Dubai and access to the region's fast-growing crypto user base.
What to know:
- Paribu acquires Bahrain- and Dubai-based CoinMENA for up to $240 million.
- Deal marks Turkey’s biggest fintech acquisition and first international crypto M&A, the firm said.
- The move taps into the MENA region’s fast-growing crypto user base and supportive regulatory hubs.
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