Meltem Demirors is a fintech veteran from New York who holds over a decade of experience in digital asset investing. A crypto expert by trade, she currently works as the chief strategy officer for CoinShares, an investment firm that manages $4 billion in digital assets.
Prior to delving into crypto, Demirors’ corporate experience includes working primarily as a consultant with Elsen, Deloitte and ExxonMobil. In addition to her direct involvement in fintech initiatives, Demirors has also made significant investments in crypto startups via seed and Series A funding rounds.
Demirors has earned a Master’s of Business Administration in finance and innovation from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Soon after, she got actively involved in crypto in 2015 when she joined Digital Currency Group to help raise capital and manage a portfolio of 120 companies and four subsidiaries. After three years of leading DCG as the vice president, Demirors took her mainstream finance experience to take charge of CoinShares.
Demirors also advocates for numerous initiatives around blockchain technology through participating in the World Economic Forum Blockchain Council. As an active crypto proponent, she is the host of the What Grinds My Gears podcast, where she speaks about finance, history and technology. Demirors is also a host for the annual Crypto Springs conference in Palm Springs.
Demirors has been one of the most vocal Bitcoin supporters, dedicating a lot of time with mainstream media to educate the general public about the ongoing crypto disruption. This year, she was one of the 100 crypto visionaries who donated 1 Bitcoin to Charity: Water, a New York-based nonprofit that aims to improve the drinking water supply in developing countries.
Demirors also actively supported the development of pro-crypto regulations in the United States in an effort to reduce uncertainties among investors and the industry in general. Speaking against the notion of Bitcoin’s extensive power usage, she highlighted the ecosystem’s transparency as compared to the lack of information shared by other major industries.
With Demirors at its side, CoinShares expanded its services in offshore jurisdictions such as Canada and Switzerland. The digital asset management company also expedited its growth this year by acquiring Elwood Technologies, an Alan Howard-owned ETF-index business. In July, Demirors joined the board of directors of The Topps Company, a firm specializing in sports and entertainment collectibles.
Demirors believes that the crypto market in 2022 will replicate last year’s growth. She foresees the introduction of crypto regulations across the globe and primarily in the United States, which will be complemented by an expanding crypto market cap.
Additionally, Demirors forecasts a rise in the number of investors that will reinvest their Bitcoin profits into new crypto projects in hopes of greater material appreciation this year. However, she believes that this year will see greater involvement from mainstream investors as Bitcoin breaches regulated markets via corporate offerings.
For CoinShares, Demirors is expected to maintain an acquisition streak this year aimed at expanding the company’s global footprint and the number of crypto services. The company will also continue expanding its index strategies portfolio, which aims to increase crypto exposure for traditional investors.
New York, U.S.
Investor, Media; Data & Research
Rice University, MIT Sloan School of Management
Blockchain investing and advising
