Despite being a relatively new asset class, cryptocurrencies have become an important driver of creating a large number of new millionaires and billionaires.
Most of these people are crypto founders, but some are just amateur investors with a keen eye for possibilities.
This article identifies and investigates the 10 richest crypto investors of 2024, providing background information about each individual and how they achieved their wealth.
The 10 richest crypto investors
| Name | Net Worth* | Source of Wealth |
| Changpeng Zhao | $33 Billion | Binance |
| Brian Armstrong | $11.2 Billion | Coinbase |
| Giancarlo Devasini | $9.2 Billion | Tether |
| Michael Saylor | $4.4 Billion | MicroStrategy, Bitcoin |
| Paolo Ardoino | $3.9 Billion | Tether |
| Jean-Louis van der Velde | $3.9 billion | Tether |
| Chris Larsen | $3.2 billion | Ripple, XRP |
| Fred Ehrsam | $3.2 billion | Coinbase, Paradigm |
| Matthew Roszak | $3.1 billion | Bitcoin, Ethereum |
| Jed McCaleb | $2.9 billion | XRP sales |
How many crypto billionaires are there?
Bitcoin’s value has more than doubled in the past 12 months, reaching an all-time high of $73,000. This increased the total value of all outstanding cryptocurrencies by 170% and created a new class of billionaires.
According to Forbes magazine’s 2024 World’s Richest List, there are now at least 17 crypto billionaires, up from nine last year. The total wealth of these billionaires more than doubled last year to $93 billion.
10 Richest Cryptocurrency Investors
This is a list of the world’s richest crypto investors in ascending order, including a brief background on each person and their investment history.
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 creator of Stellar Lumens (XLM), a decentralized cryptocurrency.
Mr. McCaleb became interested in Bitcoin in 2010 and founded Mt. Gox, the first major Bitcoin exchange. At its peak, the platform processed over 70% of all Bitcoin transactions.
After selling Mt. Gox in 2011, Mr. McCaleb turned his attention to creating decentralized cryptocurrencies. He co-founded Ripple in his 2012, but due to disagreements with other co-founders, he soon left the company.
In 2014, Makaleb launched Stellar, a Ripple competitor, with the goal of connecting financial institutions and supporting cross-border transactions. Currently, Mr. McCaleb is devoting most of his resources to his space exploration company, Vasto.
9. Matthew Roszak (Net Worth $3.1 Billion)
Matthew Roszak is an early Bitcoin investor who first invested in 2010. Before starting his journey into cryptocurrencies, Roszak worked as an entrepreneur in venture capital. In 2006, he also settled 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 companies, and is a co-founder of Tally Capital, a private investment company focused on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
Most of his wealth comes from early investments in several cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and BNB.
8. Fred Ehrsam (net worth $3.2 billion)
Fred Ehrsam is an American entrepreneur who co-founded Coinbase with Brian Armstrong in 2012. Although he left the company in 2017, he continued to own about 5% of the company’s shares.
Prior to joining Coinbase, Ehrsam worked as a trader in his Goldman Sachs foreign exchange division. He left the company to pursue his interests in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
Coinbase’s revenue was $2.9 billion in 2023, compared to $3.1 billion in 2022. The company reported a profit of $100 million in 2023, compared to his $2.6 billion net loss in 2022.
7. Chris Larsen (Net Worth $3.2 Billion)
Chris Larsen is an American entrepreneur known for his involvement in founding numerous technology companies. He co-founded his E-Loan in 1996, the first company to offer consumers his FICO credit score free of charge.
Mr. Larsen co-founded Ripple Labs in 2012 and holds approximately 18% of the company’s stock. He stepped down as Ripple’s CEO in December 2016, but he remains the company’s chairman.
Ripple’s $XRP cryptocurrency is one of the largest by market capitalization, with Larsen reportedly owning over 2.8 billion XRP tokens. At the peak of XRP’s value in early 2018, Larsen’s total wealth was estimated at $4.6 billion.
6. Jean-Louis van der Velde (net worth $3.9 billion)
As the former CEO of blockchain company Tether, Jean-Louis van der Velde is the founder of Tether and the Bank. and focused on maintaining high-level strategic relationships with regulators. He owns about 20% of the company.
Before joining Tether, Van der Velde, who left the Netherlands in 1985 to study in Taiwan, co-founded a number of IT and technology startups in Asia, from hardware design to development to software. did. He was also 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 approximately $1.8 billion as of July 2023.
5. Paolo Ardoino (net worth $3.9 billion)
Paolo Ardoino is the CEO of Tether and holds approximately 20% of the company’s stock. He has extensive experience in developing technology solutions for a decentralized world and has worked as a computer programmer in numerous startup companies.
Ardoino began his career as a freelance consultant in 2003 and co-founded his first company Involutive in 2007. In 2014, he joined Tether’s sister company Bitfinex as a senior software developer, and soon he was named CTO. He was also the CTO of Tether.
Ardoino’s net worth is estimated to be approximately $1.8 billion as of July last year.
4. Michael Saylor (net worth $4.4 billion)
Michael Saylor is the CEO of MicroStrategy, a software company he founded in the 1990s and later reorganized into a Bitcoin investment vehicle. He graduated summa cum laude from MIT in 1987.
MicroStrategy began investing in cryptocurrencies in 2022 by purchasing 8,813 $BTC. The company is estimated to hold around 193,000 Bitcoins, making it the world’s largest corporate holder.
Saylor is considered the biggest crypto winner in terms of percentage, holding over 17,000 $BTC. MicroStrategy’s stock price has increased about 500% since last year.
3. Giancarlo Devasini (net worth $9.2 billion)
Giancarlo Devasini is the CFO of Tether. Tether is a stablecoin, a type of cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar.
Devasini was originally a plastic surgeon, but dissatisfaction with the profession led him to retire after two years. He entered the blockchain field in his 2012 and initially offered his DVD and his CD of Bitcoin on popular forums.
Last year, Tether made $6.2 billion in profits from interest on customer collateral.
Devasini owns 47% of Tether’s shares, making him likely its largest shareholder. Devasini’s net worth was estimated at $4 billion as of July last year.
2. Brian Armstrong (Net Worth $11.2 Billion)
Brian Armstrong is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange based in the US. Before co-founding Coinbase, he worked as a software engineer at several major technology companies, including IBM and Airbnb.
In 2012, Mr. Armstrong co-founded his Coinbase with Fred He and Mr. Asam. Coinbase quickly became popular among crypto enthusiasts due to its easy-to-use interface and robust security measures. Coinbase was the first crypto exchange to go public, listing on the Nasdaq Exchange through a direct listing in April 2021.
Coinbase’s market capitalization reached $100 billion immediately after his IPO. Armstrong owns about 19% of Coinbase.
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 founding Binance, Mr. Zhao held technical positions at several companies including Bloomberg Tradebook, Fusion Systems, and Blockchain.com. (BNB) and earned most of its wealth from the success of its related token. Before the cryptocurrency collapse, his net worth in 2022 was estimated to be around $65 billion.
Last year, Mr. Zhao agreed to pay a $200 million fine on federal money laundering charges. He also agreed to step down as Binance’s CEO and not be allowed to participate in Binance’s activities for three years.