- The blog post ranks the richest individuals and anonymous wallets in the crypto industry based on their crypto holdings and stakes in crypto companies.
- Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, tops the list with an estimated net worth of $76.67 billion from the 1.1 million BTC they are believed to own.
- Other top names on the list include Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, Coinbase co-founder Brian Armstrong, Tether executives, and anonymous Bitcoin whales with massive holdings.
The crypto industry has minted a new class of ultra-wealthy individuals over the past decade. While anonymous hackers and long-lost wallet owners sit on untouchable fortunes, the leaders of top crypto companies have amassed immense personal wealth.
The Forbes Billionaires List vs. Crypto’s Richest
The annual Forbes Billionaires List features many familiar tech moguls, but crypto has its own distinct set of mega-rich elites. Changpeng “CZ” Zhao of Binance has joined the Forbes top 20 thanks to his exchange’s rise, while FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried fell from the list after his company’s collapse. Other crypto billionaires like Barry Silbert and the Dunamu co-founders saw their net worths shrivel amid the 2022 bear market.
Meanwhile, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated away enough funds to potentially rank among the richest. Anonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto tops the crypto rich list by far with untouched holdings from mining bitcoin’s first blocks.
The Top 20 Crypto Billionaires
- Satoshi Nakamoto – $76.67 billion
- Changpeng “CZ” Zhao – $47.7 billion
- Brian Armstrong – $11.5 billion
- Giancarlo Devasini – $9.2 billion
- Anonymous Bitcoin Whale 1 – $6.59 billion
- The Mt. Gox Hackers – $5.57 billion
- Michael Saylor – $5 billion
- Anonymous Bitcoin Whale 2 – $4.13 billion
- Jean-Louis van der Velde – $3.9 billion
- Anonymous Bitcoin Whale 3 – $3.76 billion
- Anonymous Bitcoin Whale 4 – $3.73 billion
- Anonymous Bitcoin Whale 5 – $3.6 billion
- Fred Ehrsam – $3.2 billion
- Chris Larsen – $3.2 billion
- Matthew Roszak – $3.1 billion
- Anonymous Bitcoin Whale 6 – $3.07 billion
- Jed McCaleb – $2.9 billion
- Cameron Winklevoss – $2.7 billion
- Tyler Winklevoss – $2.7 billion
- Mike Novogratz – $2.5 billion
Conclusion
The crypto industry has produced enormous amounts of wealth in a short period of time. While the technology aims to be decentralized, much of the money has flowed into the hands of founders and early adopters. The community continues to wonder whether Satoshi Nakamoto will ever reveal their identity and gain the ability to cash out on their stash. For now, it remains out of reach as the largest anonymous whale among a crypto elite who have otherwise become household names.
