Blockchain 100 2026: bonuz Founder Up for Binance Award
Binance has opened nominations for its Blockchain 100, 2026 list, and bonuz founder Matthias Mende is in the running for Community Influencer of the Year. For everyday wallet users, this vote decides which creators shape how plain explanations of crypto reach the public next year.
What actually happened
Binance Square confirmed nominations for The Blockchain 100, 2026 close on 16 October at 15:59 UTC, which is 19:59 in Dubai. The list recognizes 100 creators who helped people understand finance and blockchain this year. Community members submit nominations, Binance narrows them to a shortlist, and public voting picks each winner. Matthias Mende, who founded bonuz and co-founded the Dubai Blockchain Center, posts daily on Binance Square under the handle Professor Mende, according to Nominate Professor Mende for The Blockchain 100, 2026. He won Binance Creator of the Year at Binance Blockchain Week Dubai in 2024 and Top Industry Advocate in 2025. Both wins came from community votes. This year his category is Community Influencer of the Year.
How we got here
Mende has used Binance Square for close to nine years, writing about stablecoins, tokenized treasuries and new regulation in plain language. He has lived in Dubai since 2007. His past two Binance titles both came from grassroots support, not a jury pick. bonuz, the project he founded, aims to bring everyday people into Web3 through wallets and apps they already understand. The nomination process mirrors that goal, since nominations and voting stay open to anyone with a Binance account, not just insiders.
Why this matters for you
For bonuz wallet users, a Mende win keeps a builder who explains crypto in plain terms visible to a wider Binance audience. For builders, it signals that community voting, not credentials, still decides recognition on major platforms. Anyone with a Binance account can nominate or vote, so the result depends on turnout, not on token holdings or technical skill. A win would also link bonuz to one of Binance's top creator honors, which could raise its visibility for new users.
The bigger question
If community votes, not expert panels, decide who represents an industry, what does that reveal about how trust forms in Web3? Does strong visibility on one platform measure real impact on everyday users, or does it just reward whoever asks loudest for support? As more creators run plain language education, who should judge whether that work actually helps people use crypto safely?
What to watch
Nominations close 16 October at 15:59 UTC. The shortlist for The Blockchain 100, 2026 goes public on 19 October, when voting opens. Binance announces winners on 29 October. The top 10 Community Influencers get invited to Binance Blockchain Week 2026 in Bangkok. bonuz users can follow Mende's Binance Square posts for updates on the vote.
