i know IBM and Nasdaq has been working on blockchain for years. But now as China is joining the race, i wonder will China be the world leader in this area or Japan who acknowledged bitcoin as a legal currency.
We dont need anyone to lead the effort, if someone got a better idea for the development of bitcoin then expose the idea, create the code and let the community decide if they like the solution they propose, it is that simple, so like you see anyone can lead the effort as long as they have a good idea and the desire to make it a reality.