Arkham Intelligence has revealed groundbreaking data indicating that Vitalik Buterin, the renowned co-creator of Ethereum, possesses over $800 million worth of ETH. The majority of this substantial amount stems from the initial ETH allocation he received during Ethereum's inception, amounting to around 246,730 ETH. Vitalik's investments extend beyond Ethereum, with reports suggesting involvement in projects like StarkNet.

Origins of Vitalik's Wealth

Vitalik embarked on his crypto odyssey in 2011 at the age of 17 by co-founding Bitcoin Magazine alongside Mihai Alisie. Seeking to address the limitations of Bitcoin, he penned the Ethereum Whitepaper in November 2013 at the age of 19, proposing Ethereum as a remedy to Bitcoin's constraints.

Shortly after, Vitalik assembled a team of co-founders, including Anthony Di Iorio, Charles Hoskinson, Mihai Alisie, Amir Chetrit, Joseph Lubin, Gavin Wood, and Jeffrey Wilcke. Together, they established the Ethereum Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the Ethereum network. In June 2014, Vitalik received a $100,000 grant from the Thiel Foundation, enabling him to depart from the University of Waterloo and devote his full attention to Ethereum.

Ethereum was officially launched on July 30, 2015, with Vitalik remaining as the sole founder actively involved in the network's operations. He oversees its development, including the transition from Proof-of-Work (PoW) to Proof-of-Stake (PoS) in 2022.

Despite the presence of undisclosed wallets, Vitalik's known holdings are believed to constitute the majority of his wealth. His publicized holdings have never surpassed 0.9% of ETH's total supply, as corroborated by Arkham's data.

Vitalik's financial portfolio not only comprises ETH but also includes tokens like KNC, WETH, $1,290 worth of Tornado Cash's TORN token, and 6.345 million Shiba Inu ($SHIB), valued at $60.65.

In 2020, Vitalik obtained 50% of SHIB's supply, briefly elevating his net worth to $10 billion before burning 410 trillion SHIB tokens ($6 billion) and donating the remainder to CryptoRelief India.

Financial Trajectory and Market Influence

Vitalik Buterin's financial narrative has been nothing short of remarkable. In 2015, his net worth surged from $596,760 to $551.22 million. The most substantial year-on-year net worth escalation occurred during the 2017 bullish period, skyrocketing from $4.23 million to $278.37 million.

In 2021, as ETH surpassed $3,000, Vitalik attained billionaire status at 27, with his net worth peaking at $2.09 billion when ETH hit an all-time high of $4,891. However, the crypto downturn led to a significant decline in ETH prices, reducing his holdings by approximately 75% from $1.2 billion in December 2021 to $300.58 million in December 2022.

Currently, his net worth stands at $551.22 million with ETH prices residing at $3,300. Vitalik's net worth is closely tied to ETH prices, given that ETH constitutes over 99% of his portfolio. As ETH prices fluctuate, so does his net worth, rising and falling in tandem.

Vitalik has intermittently sold ETH, notably in May 2023 when he sold 200 ETH, followed by the Ethereum Foundation offloading 15,000 ETH. He has clarified that since 2018, he hasn't sold ETH for personal profit, with any transfers to exchanges earmarked for donations rather than sales.