From being a niche technology and interest just a decade ago, the crypto market is now worth over $1 trillion. As the industry has grown and new platforms and related technologies have come up, many people have made a bank with cryptocurrencies, especially with Bitcoin.
These billionaires come from various walks of life and have made their wealth either by timely and strategic investments in Bitcoin or by developing products that have helped in the growth of the crypto ecosystem. There are also billionaires who have lost their crypto fortunes overnight.
So, who is the richest crypto person? Read on to find out about the richest crypto billionaires in the world.
Changpeng Zhao
Country of Origin: China; Canadian citizenship
Age: 45
Founder: Binance
Net Worth: $10.2 billion
The richest person in the crypto world is Changpeng Zhao- the founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume with an estimated $7.1 billion trading volume in August 2023.
Zhao founded Binance in 2017 with an initial coin offering(ICO) raising $15 million. As per Forbes, He has atleast a 70% stake in Binance and also holds an undisclosed amount of Bitcoin and Binance’s native BNB token. As of August 2023, Zhao’s net worth is estimated to be $10.2 billion.
Over the years, Binance has come under increasing regulatory scrutiny in the USA, Europe and Asia. It is being investigated by the US Department of Justice and the IRS for money laundering and tax offenses. Binance also has had to stop all regulated activity in the UK.
Brian Armstrong
Country of Origin: United States of America
Age: 40
Founder: Coinbase
Net Worth: $3.6 billion
Brian Armstrong is the founder and chief executive of North America’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. A former Airbnb engineer, he founded Coinbase in 2012 with co-founder Fred Ehrsam. Armstrong has a net worth of $3.6 billion as of August 2023 and owns 19% of Coinbase shares.
Coinbase is a relatively easy-to-use platform and hence, widely considered a credible gateway into the crypto world for retail traders. The exchange was publicly listed on Nasdaq in April 2021 and even reached a $100 billion market capitalization for a brief period of time. As of August 2023, Coinbase has a trading volume of $1 billion.
Chris Larsen
Country of Origin: United States of America
Age: 63
Founder: Ripple, E-Loan, Prosper Marketplace, Privacy Now coalition
Net Worth: $2.6 billion
Chris Larsen is the co-founder of Ripple along with Jed McCaleb. Apart from Ripple, he has been the co-founder of online mortgage lender E-Loan and financial services company Prosper Marketplace. Larsen left the position of Ripple CEO in 2016 but continues to serve as executive chairman. He had a net worth of $2.6 billion in August 2023 as per Forbes.
Apart from that, Larsen is an advocate for financial privacy and has co-founded the Californians for Privacy Now coalition.
Jed McCaleb
Country of Origin: United States of America
Age: 48
Founder: Ripple, Stellar, Vast
Net Worth: $2.4 billion
Jed McCaleb is the founder of the first major and now infamous cryptocurrency exchange Mt.Gox. He later went on to co-found Ripple in 2012 and then Stellar in 2014. McCaleb has a net worth of $2.4 billion most of which comes from his holdings of 3.4 billion XRP.
In 2021, McCaleb founded the aerospace company Vast which is working on developing artificial gravity space stations.
Nikil Vishwanathan
Country of Origin: United States of America
Age: 35
Founder: Alchemy, Down to Lunch, Check In To My Flight
Net Worth: $1.8 billion
Nikil Vishwanathan is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Alchemy. Alchemy which is also called the “Microsoft of Blockchain” is a platform that powers blockchain-based Web3 projects. It enables developers to create blockchain applications and serves over 4 million users in 200 countries.
Viswanathan holds a 26% stake in Alchemy and his net worth is an estimated $1.8 billion in August 2023. Before starting Alchemy, he had co-founded the iPhone app Down to Lunch and Check In To My Flight which let travelers automatically check in to Southwest Airlines flights.
Joe Lau
Country of Origin: United States of America
Age: 34
Founder: Alchemy, Down to Lunch
Net Worth: $1.8 billion
Joe Lau is the co-founder and CTO of blockchain company Alchemy. He launched the platform in 2020 along with Nikil Vishwanathan to enable developers to create great blockchain-based applications. Lau is a Stanford graduate and reportedly owns a 26% stake in Alchemy. His net worth is $1.8 billion as of August 2023.
The Winklevoss Twins
Country of Origin: United States of America
Age: 41
Founder: Gemini
Net Worth: $1.5 billion each
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss were the first people to become crypto billionaires when Bitcoin prices witnessed a massive surge in 2017. The identical twins co-founded the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini in 2014 which now has a trading volume of over $31 million.
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss are, however, known in popular culture for their legal dispute with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg whom they accused of stealing their social network idea. They used the settlement from this lawsuit to acquire cryptocurrencies. As of August 2023, their net worth is about $1.5 billion each.
Additionally, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss also participated in the men’s pair rowing event in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Michael Saylor
Country of Origin: United States of America
Age: 58
Founder: MicroStrategy
Net Worth: $1.4 billion
Michael Saylor is an American entrepreneur who founded the business analytics software firm MicroStrategy in 1989. He served as its CEO until August 2022 after which he became its Chairman. Saylor is a major supporter of Bitcoin and under him, MicroStrategy started increasing its cryptocurrency holdings by acquiring significant amounts of Bitcoin at various times. As of 2023, MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin holdings are estimated to be well over $3 billion.
Saylor personally holds over 17,000 Bitcoin and his net worth is $1.4 billion in August 2023.
Crypto Billionaires Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Who is the Richest Crypto Owner?
Binance’s founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao is the richest crypto owner. His net worth is estimated to be around $10 billion as of August 2023. Zhao is reported to have atleast a 70% stake in Binance. He also holds an undisclosed amount of BNB and some Bitcoin as well.
Which Crypto Billionaire Lost it All?
FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried is the crypto billionaire who lost it all. He went from being the youngest crypto billionaire and the second-richest person in the crypto world to losing 94% of his wealth in a single day. Bankman-Fried lost his billionaire status overnight as FTX’s sale to Binance was announced and his net worth took a nose dive with the subsequent collapse of the crypto exchange.
Who Owns the Most Bitcoin?
Bitcoin’s pseudonymous founder Satoshi Nakamoto is believed to hold the largest number of Bitcoin. It is estimated that Nakamoto holds about 1 million BTC that is stored in roughly 22,000 addresses