What does it actually take to earn trust in an industry that's still earning its own? From compliance and custody to security audits and protocol development, the women featured in this piece have spent years at the frontier of digital assets.
This International Women's Day, we asked each of them four questions: how they got here, what women bring to this space that goes unnoticed, what trust really means beyond the slogans, and what they'd tell the next generation walking in.
Six voices. In their own words.
Yevheniia Broshevan | CEO & Co-Founder of Hacken
1. The Journey
My career in this space started before it was even called the digital assets industry. In 2014 it was still an experiment — a technology very few people understood, and through every market cycle many advised me to “find a normal job.” The real challenge was continuing to build when few people believed in the industry, but staying through those cycles is what allowed us to witness its transition toward mass adoption and regulation.
2. Women’s Impact
In my experience, women often become the glue within teams and ecosystems. They bring a risk-aware perspective, empathy, and a long-term lens that balances the industry’s natural focus on speed and disruption — qualities that contribute to the industry’s maturity as it evolves from experimentation to institutional infrastructure. The ability to build relational trust, not just transactional outcomes, is especially valuable in a sector rebuilding credibility.
3. On Trust
For me, building trust means prioritizing long-term integrity over short-term revenue. We have declined engagements where security recommendations were ignored and delayed launches when risk thresholds weren’t met. Trust is predictability, keeping your word, communicating transparently, and upholding your values especially when no one is watching.
4. To the Next Generation
Digital assets are entering a more institutional and regulated phase. My advice is to choose resilience over noise and surround yourself with people who share your values. The future of this industry will not be built by the loudest voices, but by those capable of protecting it.
Yevheniia Broshevan is the CEO & Co-Founder of Hacken Blockchain Security & Compliance, and a voice in the crypto space since 2014. Scaled Hacken from a small Ukrainian startup to a global team of 140+, securing 1,000+ projects, including prominent names like Binance, OKX, and Bybit, among many others. Certified Ethical Hacker. Named to Forbes "30 Under 30" in 2024 and a judge on Apple TV’s “Killer Whales”. Wtech Advisor, Blockchain4Her Ambassador, and passionate advocate for women in Web3 and STEM. Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity. Stanford Executive Program alumna.
Sadia Halim, CFA | Head of Strategic Institutional Accounts at Galaxy Custody GK8
1. The Journey
When I left my job at a traditional bank to join the first OCC regulated bank focused on digital assets, I knew that was the direction I wanted to take my career. Being part of an industry that is actively shaping the future of finance is unbelievably energizing. One of the biggest challenges as a woman in this space is that you are often the only female in a meeting or on a call, but ultimately we are all working toward a common goal, so I try to focus on the shared purpose rather than the differences.
2. Women’s Impact
There are still far fewer female founders and investors in this space and often the strength and impact of these trailblazers isn't always fully recognized, but the diversity of thought and unique perspectives that they bring to the industry is incredibly powerful.
3. On Trust
Building trust starts with building relationships, both internally and externally. For me, it means listening carefully to the needs of a team or an organization and taking the time to understand the nuances of a situation before acting. When people know that decisions are thoughtful, transparent, and made with the broader goal in mind, trust follows.
4. To the Next Generation
Don't hesitate. There is a real opportunity to shape the direction of the industry because it is still so nascent. Focus on the areas that excite you most and own them.
Sadia Halim is a strategic financial services executive with over two decades of experience leading institutional client relationships, business development, and innovation initiatives across banks and fintech platforms. She is currently working at the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets as the Head of Strategic Institutional Accounts at Galaxy Digital GK8, the custody arm. Prior to this, she was the Head of Institutional Relationship Management at Anchorage Digital. Previously, she held senior leadership roles at BNP Paribas, including Chief of Staff to the CEO of the Americas and Global Head of Innovation & Transformation for Financial Institutions, as well as in the Financial Institutions Group at BlackRock.
Mariia Yatsenko | Head of Marketing at Centrifuge
1. The Journey
I’ve always worked with financial assets. I studied finance law and began my career working with some of the largest banks in Ukraine, then moved into collaboration with fintech applications. My foundation was very traditional finance.
Over time, I found myself moving closer to innovation. I realized that digital assets and Web3 represent the most forward-looking part of capital markets, not as a trend, but as structural evolution. That’s when it became clear this wasn’t just an interesting sector. It was the future of finance, and I wanted to help build it.
As for challenges, I’ve never framed them primarily around being a woman. The bigger challenge has been operating at the intersection of marketing and capital markets. To do marketing well in this space, you need deep strategic and financial understanding. That combination isn’t common, and you can’t fake it. You have to genuinely understand how markets work, how products are structured, and where value accrues. Bridging that gap has been the real work.
2. Women’s Impact
The value women bring isn’t about “difference” for its own sake, it’s about perspective.
Many women entering digital assets come from Web2, communications, analytics, or other industries not historically native to crypto. That matters. As the space matures, it needs broader expertise. It needs people who understand operations, distribution, governance, and user experience, not just protocol mechanics.
Women are contributing to that maturation. They bring cross-industry experience and a structured, long-term lens. That influence is sometimes subtle, but it’s meaningful.
3. On Trust
“Building trust” is an overused phrase in Web3. To me, it’s very simple. If you say the product does something, it must do that thing. If you communicate a milestone, it must be real. Trust is created when product, messaging, and execution are aligned. In many Web3 projects, there’s a gap between narrative and substance. I’m proud that in our team, we never hesitate to announce something because it’s always grounded in real customers, real capital, and real usage. That alignment protects long-term credibility, even if it means we move more deliberately.
4. To the Next Generation
My number one piece of advice: don’t wait for permission. If you’re entering digital assets today, you’re already making a bold decision. You are stepping into a new phase of finance. That alone signals initiative. Be confident, but stay curious. Use the resources available to you. Keep learning.
Ask questions without hesitation.
This industry is still being shaped. If you’re here, you have the opportunity to influence how it evolves. Step into that responsibility.
Mariia Yatsenko is the Head of Marketing at Centrifuge, a leading real-world asset tokenization protocol. Former finance lawyer and fintech growth leader, she now focuses on institutional Web3 adoption and bringing traditional capital markets onchain.
Adilah Holivay | CEO Association for Women in Cryptocurrency (AWIC)
1. The Journey
I realized in 2022 that digital assets were not just a passing industry shift, but a long-term assignment for me when I recognized that blockchain was not simply a trend but a cutting-edge technology capable of transforming every industry it touches. In traditional finance, trust is institutional. In digital assets, trust is architectural. It lives in code, governance, compliance, transparency, and community stewardship. I saw immediately that this space would require leaders who could bridge innovation with accountability. That is when I knew this was not just participation for me, it was purpose.
That clarity is what brought me to the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency. I found a community of women who understood that in this industry, women are often required to demonstrate expertise before we are afforded authority and a true seat at the table. What attracted me most was Amanda Wick’s commitment to changing that narrative, not through rhetoric, but through preparation, elevation, and collective leadership.
2. Women’s Impact
Women bring systems intelligence with emotional discernment , and that combination is powerful.
While the industry often celebrates speed, disruption, and valuation spikes, women consistently bring forward questions of sustainability, governance, security, and long-term viability. We think about user protection. We think about regulatory resilience. We think about the community that remains after the hype cycle passes.
At the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency, we witness women de-risking innovation every day. That contribution may not always trend on social channels, but it strengthens the foundation of the entire ecosystem.
3. On Trust
I have made decisions that were unpopular in the short term to preserve long-term integrity. In digital assets, reputation compounds just like capital, and so does your network. If we are shaping the future of finance, integrity cannot be optional or performative; it must be structural, anchored in a solid foundation that can withstand scrutiny, growth, and change.
Building trust, to me, is alignment between conviction and conduct, especially when the decision is uncomfortable. Trust is turning down partnerships that do not meet ethical or compliance standards and being bold enough to make that call. Trust is slowing expansion when governance frameworks are not fully matured. Trust is communicating transparently, even when the narrative would be easier to soften. It also means partnering with allies who believe in your initiatives and vision and who are equally committed to upholding shared values.
4. To the Next Generation
My top advice for women entering digital assets is to align with a strong community, like the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency. Learn wallets, tokenomics, and regulatory frameworks. Engage in governance discussions, and while developing your skills, leverage your soft skills.
Leadership here isn’t about volume, it’s about raising your hand, showing preparedness, consistency, and principle. Digital assets are still being defined, and The future is being written in real time. Women are not late to this industry; we are essential. The future will reflect the courage of those willing to build it with integrity
Adilah Holivay is the CEO of the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency and a board advisor across blockchain, AI, and digital asset ecosystems. A Duke University alumna, she focuses on driving secure, compliant innovation at the intersection of finance and emerging technology.
Amanda Wick | Head of Americas at VerifyVASP
1. The Journey
I didn’t start out thinking I’d have a career in digital assets. My background was in financial crime and I spent years focused on how illicit finance moves through the traditional financial system. When cryptocurrency began showing up in my investigations, I realized something important: this technology wasn’t just a niche experiment, it was going to reshape financial infrastructure.
The moment it clicked for me was when I saw how transparent blockchain data could actually make investigations and AML/CFT more effective. That’s when I understood the industry wasn’t just about speculation; it was about the future of financial integrity and financial access.
One of the biggest challenges as a woman in this industry has simply been belonging. Crypto has historically been a very male-dominated environment, and early on I often found myself being the only woman in the room—and sometimes the only person focused on compliance or risk. We needed more women, so I created a place for that. A place where women are encouraged to speak up anyway and stand firmly behind their expertise. Over time, the results of more women rising up in the industry speak for themselves. The industry is maturing and women have a large role in that.
2. Women’s Impact
One thing women often bring to this industry (though it’s rarely highlighted), is a systems perspective. Women in crypto frequently focus on sustainability, governance, and real-world impact rather than just speed or hype.
That shows up in areas like compliance, consumer protection, and building infrastructure that institutions can actually trust. Those things aren’t always the most glamorous parts of the industry, but they’re the pieces that ultimately determine whether digital assets become a lasting part of the global financial system.
In many ways, women are helping move the conversation from “What can we build?” to “What should we build—and how do we do it responsibly?”
3. On Trust
For me, building trust isn’t a marketing phrase, it’s operational discipline. It means being willing to prioritize integrity over growth and transparency over convenience.
In financial systems, trust is cumulative but fragile. Once it’s broken, it’s very hard to restore. So leadership sometimes means making decisions that slow things down in the short term: implementing stronger compliance controls, declining partnerships that raise risk, or pushing back when people want to cut corners.
I’ve absolutely made decisions that weren’t popular at the moment because they protected long-term credibility. In the end, trust isn’t built by what you say publicly; it’s built by the standards you refuse to compromise privately.
4. To the Next Generation
My number one piece of advice for women entering the digital assets space is to build expertise at the intersection of technology, finance, and policy. The leaders who will shape this industry are the people who understand how the technology works, how humans truly work (not how we wish they worked), how financial systems operate, and how regulation evolves. If you can speak across those worlds, you become incredibly valuable.
I’d also say this: don’t wait for permission to lead. This industry is still being defined in real time by those who speak up. Women who bring thoughtful perspectives on governance, security, and responsible innovation, and who have the courage to step forward and speak, will have a huge influence on where it goes next. The future of digital assets will depend on trust, transparency, and collaboration, and women are already playing a critical role in building that foundation.
Amanda Wick is the Head of Americas at VerifyVASP and a crypto compliance expert specializing in travel rule enforcement and AML/CFT. A Vanderbilt Law alumna, she works with VASPs, exchanges, and regulators to build the compliance infrastructure that digital finance depends on.
Antonina Norair | CTO at M0
1. The Journey
At first, I bet on this nascent industry over the "leetcoding" grind of Sillicon Valley Big Tech because it was more interesting. The realization came during the rise of DeFi. Building new financial primitives showed me a path that finally felt natural. It allowed me to join an industry built to reinvent the very financial markets that were never available to me growing up in Ukraine.
As a woman in this space, the biggest challenge is that you don’t fit standard perceptions. You are forced to start from scratch and prove you fit in every single time. On the plus side, after years of not “matching the pattern” the coin flips: you become outstanding by default. I genuinely wish every woman in crypto can gain the confidence to realize they can be outstanding.
2. Women’s Impact
Women contribute essential EQ and balance to the industry. While there are many outstanding female contributors, I don't necessarily think their work goes unnoticed — it is just that the number of women founders and KOLs is disproportionately small. This lack of representation at the top creates a downstream effect for the whole space.
3. On Trust
Building trust in an industry whose motto is, "Don't Trust, Verify,” requires a special skillset. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on building trust with my colleagues through actions rather than words; the reality is that nothing breaks trust faster than when those two don't match. Working mostly with engineering teams, I’ve found that if your actions are clear and logical—and if you say what you mean and mean what you say—people tend to accept and forgive the unpopular choices you sometimes have to make.
4. To the Next Generation
My advice is to take more risks and stop short-selling yourself. Be more ambitious and play to win for the long term while following the trust principles.
Antonina Norair is the CTO at M0, with prior experience at Consensys, Compound, and MoonPay. A Harvard Extension School alumna and native Ukrainian, she has spent her career building core financial infrastructure on-chain.
