Top 10 Richest Crypto Investors in 2024

Despite being a relatively new asset class, cryptocurrencies have been a key driver of numerous asset creations. New millionaires and billionaires.

Most of these individuals are cryptocurrency founders, but some are just amateur investor With a keen eye for potential.

In this article, we will identify and examine the top 10 richest cryptocurrency investors in 2024, providing background information on each individual and how they earned their wealth.

10 richest cryptocurrency investors

How many cryptocurrency billionaires are there?

The value of Bitcoin has more than doubled in the past 12 months. Best ever $73,000. This helped increase the total value of all prominent cryptocurrencies by 170%, ultimately creating a new class of billionaires.

According to Forbes’ 2024 list of the world’s billionaires, there are now at least 17 cryptocurrency billionaires, up from nine last year. The total assets of these billionaires more than doubled last year, reaching $93 billion.

10 richest cryptocurrency investors

Here is a list of the richest cryptocurrency investors in the world (in ascending order). Background information and investment details for each individual are also provided.

10. Jed McCaleb (net worth $2.9 billion)

Jed McCaleb is an American programmer and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and former CTO of blockchain technology company Ripple. He is also the founder of Stellar Lumen (XLM), a decentralized cryptocurrency.

McCaleb became interested in Bitcoin in 2010 and later founded the first major Bitcoin exchange, Mt. Founded Gox. At its peak, the platform processed over 70% of all Bitcoin transactions.

In 2011, Mt. After selling Gox, McCaleb turned his attention to creating a decentralized cryptocurrency. He co-founded Ripple in 2012 but left soon after due to disagreements with other co-founders.

In 2014, McCaleb launched Stellar, a rival to Ripple, to connect financial institutions and support cross-border transactions. Today, McCaleb devotes most of his resources to the space exploration company Vast.

9. Matthew Roszak (net worth $3.1 billion)

Matthew Roszak is an early Bitcoin investor, first investing in 2010. Before starting his cryptocurrency journey, Roszak worked as a venture capitalist and entrepreneur. In 2006, he was cleared of insider trading charges related to his purchase of stock in propane tank exchange company Blue Rhino.

He also runs Bloq, a blockchain startup that invests in and supports cryptocurrency ventures, and is the co-founder of Tally Capital, a private investment firm focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain-based technologies.

Most of his wealth comes from his early investments in several cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and BNB.

8. Fred Ersam (net worth $3.2 billion)

Fred Ehrsam is an American entrepreneur who co-founded Coinbase in 2012 with Brian Armstrong. He left the company in 2017 but retained about a 5% stake.

Before Coinbase, Ehrsam worked at Goldman Sachs as a trader in the company’s foreign exchange department. He left the company to pursue his interests in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

In 2023, Coinbase generated $2.9 billion in revenue compared to $3.1 billion in 2022. The company reported revenue of $100 million in 2023, compared to a net loss of $2.6 billion in 2022.

7. Chris Larson (net worth $3.2 billion)

Chris Larsen is an American entrepreneur known for his involvement in founding many technology companies. He co-founded E-Loan in 1996, the first company to offer free FICO credit scores to consumers.

Larsen co-founded Ripple Labs in 2012 and owns about 18% of the company. He stepped down as Ripple CEO in December 2016, but still serves as the company’s chairman.

Ripple’s $XRP cryptocurrency is one of the largest by market capitalization, and Larsen reportedly holds more than 2.8 billion XRP tokens. At the peak of XRP value in early 2018, Larsen’s total assets were estimated at $4.6 billion.

5 cryptocurrencies #billionaire Despite the challenges facing the cryptocurrency market, including regulatory measures, it has increased its wealth over the past three months, with Chris Larsen becoming the biggest winner.#Forbeshttps://t.co/utvXCczOgT

— Forbes Middle East (@Forbes_MENA_) June 14, 2023

6. Jean-Louis van der Velde (net worth $3.9 billion)

Jean-Louis van der Velde, former CEO of blockchain company Tether, focused on maintaining Tether’s high-level strategic relationships with banks and regulators. He owns about 20% of the company.

Van der Velde, who left the Netherlands to attend university in Taiwan in 1985, co-founded many IT and technology startups in Asia, ranging from hardware design to development and software, before joining Tether. He has also been involved in the early development of numerous technologies, including web-based applications, digital marketing, video streaming, and more.

His net worth is estimated to be around $1.8 billion as of July 2023.

big move @Tether_to! @paoloardoino He takes over as CEO, succeeding Jean-Louis van der Velde. https://t.co/l0769LzSal

— BTC Times (@btc) October 14, 2023

5. Paolo Ardoino (net worth $3.9 billion)

Paolo Ardoino is the CEO of Tether and holds about 20% of the company. He has significant experience developing technology solutions for the distributed world and has worked as a computer programmer at numerous startups.

Ardoino began his career as a freelance consultant in 2003 and co-founded his first company, Involutive, in 2007. He joined Tether’s sister company Bitfinex in 2014 as a senior software developer and was soon appointed CTO. He also served as CTO of Tether.

Ardoino’s net worth was estimated at about $1.8 billion last July.

4. Michael Saylor (net worth $4.4 billion)

Michael Saylor is the CEO of MicroStrategy, a software company that started in the 1990s and was later reorganized into a Bitcoin investment vehicle. He graduated summa cum laude from MIT in 1987.

MicroStrategy began investing in cryptocurrency in 2022 by purchasing $8,813 $BTC. The company is estimated to hold about 193,000 Bitcoins, making it the largest corporate holder globally.

Saylor, considered the biggest gainer in the cryptocurrency on a percentage basis, holds over 17,000 $BTC. MicroStrategy’s stock price has risen about 500% since last year.

Some people asked how much it was. #BTC I own it. I personally #hodl 17,732 BTC were purchased at an average price of $9,882. I informed MicroStrategy about these holdings before the company decided to purchase them. #Bitcoin By itself.

— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) October 28, 2020

3. Giancarlo Debasini (net worth $9.2 billion)

Giancarlo Devasini is Tether’s CFO. Tether is a stablecoin. In other words, it is a form of cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar.

Devasini started out as a plastic surgeon, but quit after two years due to dissatisfaction with her job. He entered the blockchain field in 2012 and initially provided DVDs and CDs for Bitcoin on popular forums.

Last year, Tether earned $6.2 billion in revenue thanks to interest earned on customer collateral.

Devasini owns 47% of Tether and is likely its largest shareholder. Devashini’s net worth was estimated at $4 billion as of July.

If you haven’t already, read our introduction to Giancarlo Devasini, the key figure behind cryptocurrency powerhouse Tether: https://t.co/xbJh3iyhNq

by @kadhim and @SVR13 pic.twitter.com/HBMGannv9R

— Katie Martin (@katie_martin_fx) July 15, 2021

2. Brian Armstrong (net worth $11.2 billion)

Brian Armstrong is an American entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO of Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States. Before co-founding Coinbase, he worked as a software engineer at various major technology companies, including IBM and Airbnb.

In 2012, Armstrong co-founded Coinbase with Fred Ehrsam, which soon became popular among cryptocurrency enthusiasts due to its easy-to-use interface and strong security measures. Coinbase is the first cryptocurrency exchange to list on the Nasdaq stock exchange through a direct listing in April 2021.

Coinbase’s market capitalization reached $100 billion shortly after listing. Armstrong owns about 19% of Coinbase.

$COIN Net profit in the first quarter of ’24 was $1.18 billion and -$78.9 million in the first quarter of ’23 is absolutely crazy.@brian_armstrong He’s conducting the world’s largest wealth transfer ever, brokering the bag and when it’s all said and done, he’ll be one of the richest men on the planet.

— Chris Agnew (@C_Agnew13) May 2, 2024

1. Changpeng Zhao (net worth $33 billion)

Changpeng Zhao, popularly known as CZ, is a Chinese-Canadian entrepreneur. He is the founder and former CEO of Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume.

Before starting Binance, Zhao worked in technical roles at several companies, including Bloomberg Tradebook, Fusion Systems, and Blockchain.com.

Zhao, who founded Binance in 2017, made most of his wealth from the success of Binance and its related token (BNB). Before the cryptocurrency crash, his net worth was estimated at around $65 billion in 2022.

Last year, Zhao agreed to pay a $200 million fine on federal money laundering charges. He also agreed to step down from his position as Binance CEO and bar him from participating in Binance activities for three years.

Frequently Asked Questions