Forex Suggest have found that blockchain CEOs are disproportionately male-dominated, with women making up only 6% of CEO positions within crypto companies.

The study surveyed 50 leading crypto and blockchain companies, comparing the influence of their CEOs and the gender disparity in leadership positions.

Research revealed that the blockchain companies with the best female representation in leadership positions were Chainalysis with 46.15% and BitOasis with 42.86%. However, female staff in leadership roles were still less than the men.

Looking at the countries with the most equal adoption of crypto, the research indicated that 47% of crypto share owners in Vietnam are female, with 43% in Indonesia, and 42% in both Kenya and Colombia.

Dr Yi Ding, Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the Gillmore Centre for Financial Technology, commented: “It is disheartening to learn that such a small amount of crypto company CEOs are women, a statistic highlighting an urgent issue that needs to be addressed as digital currencies grow.

While the gender imbalance among C-suite positions is unfortunately not uncommon across the board within the tech and finance sector, crypto, which has been labelled to disrupt the fintech industry, should play a key role in also disrupting this narrative.”

She added: “It’s encouraging to see high statistics from countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, and Colombia, demonstrating that women can and do actively participate in the world of cryptocurrency when given the opportunity. This indicates that gender diversity is achievable and should serve as a model for the industry at large.

Therefore, it’s imperative that the industry takes proactive steps to create more opportunities for women to enter and thrive in the crypto field. Encouraging mentorship, providing equal access to education and resources, and fostering an inclusive workplace culture are essential components of this effort.”

In the case of companies Coinbase, Elliptic, Circle, and Anchorage Digital, the remaining data on female leadership demonstrated that just one-third of their management positions were occupied by women, categorising this as “high-level” female representation. Conversely, at the bottom of the list, Coinrule and Trust Capital both notably lacked any women in leadership roles.

The data brings great attention to the question: is this affecting engagement from underrepresented groups, and in consequence leading to lower interest in owning cryptocurrency?