- The crypto sector has produced numerous billionaires who can rival the richest individuals listed by Forbes.
- Many investors and entrepreneurs in the crypto industry are valued at billions due to their holdings in digital assets, disclosed stocks, and private assets.
The crypto winter has ended, and Bitcoin's price has surged over the past year, hitting new all-time highs in March following the US SEC's approval of BTC ETFs. The collective value of all digital assets has grown by 170%, adding $1.6 trillion in market value within the last year.
This article showcases the wealthiest 12 figures in the crypto industry, ranked based on the wealth amassed solely from digital assets and stakes in crypto companies.
Top 12 Wealthiest Figures in Crypto
Satoshi Nakamoto
Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, possesses 1.1 million BTC amounting to over $76 billion at current prices.
Changpeng Zhao
The founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, holds 90% of the world's largest exchange. Despite settling a $4.3 billion lawsuit and pleading guilty to money laundering, Zhao retains the second position with an estimated crypto fortune of $47.7 billion.
Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong, the founder of Coinbase, owns 16% of the crypto exchange, valued at $11.5 billion.
Giancarlo Devasini
As Tether's CFO, Giancarlo Devasini is the company's largest single shareholder with a 47% stake, totaling about $9.2 billion.
Anonymous Bitcoin Whale #1
A mysterious crypto wallet holder, speculated to be unaffiliated with any organization or government, possesses $6.59 billion in crypto assets, ranking as the second most substantial anonymous Bitcoin holder after Satoshi.
Mt. Gox Hackers
The hackers responsible for the 2011 Mt. Gox hack looted hundreds of thousands of BTC now valued at billions, stored in a dormant wallet amounting to $5.57 billion.
Michael Saylor
Michael Saylor, a Bitcoin advocate and MicroStrategy founder, holds over $5 billion and an additional $13 billion in BTC through his company. Saylor also claims ownership of $1.2 billion in personal Bitcoin.
Anonymous Bitcoin Whale #2
Another anonymous Bitcoin holder with 0.31% of all BTC values holdings at $4.13 billion.
Jean-Louis van der Velde
Former CEO of Tether, Jean-Louis van der Velde now owns 20% of Bitfinex, placing his crypto wealth at approximately $3.9 billion.
Anonymous Bitcoin Whale #3
A major Bitcoin whale who has not conducted any transactions since 2014 holds investments valued at $3.76 billion.
Anonymous Bitcoin Whales #4 and #5
Two more anonymous Bitcoin whales with assets of about $3.73 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively, have remained inactive in recent years.
This list provides insight into the top 12 wealthiest crypto figures, with another 10 wealthy individuals to be disclosed in the upcoming second part.
