Top 10 сrypto billionaires and investors you should know

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You've probably heard different captivating tales about investing in cryptocurrencies and how some investors became crypto billionaires by doing so. Facts satisfy and dispel doubts; perhaps you need a Bitcoin billionaires list for references; this article will give you that information. You will discover the richest bitcoin owners and their net worth.

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Who are crypto billionaires?

Crypto billionaires are investors in cryptocurrencies whose holdings, trading, and investments have increased their wealth. The richest Bitcoin owners amassed their wealth by developing instruments or tools to expand the ecosystem.

These cryptocurrency billionaires are either investors who invested in BTC, Altcoins, and NFTs or crypto startup developers attracting investors' money and growing the popularity of their products. The first group is more vulnerable because cryptocurrency billionaires could be confined to the Bitcoin millionaires list in the event of a market crash. Given how significantly the project's outcome affects their health, the second category is safe during a market crash.

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Despite all the volatility and the FTX collapse last year, some crypto billionaires have managed to weather the storm and have come out on top. These include top personalities like Ceng Zhao, the founder, and CEO of the cryptocurrency trading platform Binance. Below is a review of the richest Bitcoin owners and their net worth.

1. Changpeng Zhao (Binance)

Net worth: $4.5 billion

Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance, is the richest Bitcoin owner. He was born on February 5, 1977, and goes by the nickname CZ. He is a Canadian software engineer, businessman, and investor of Chinese descent with a degree in computer science from McGill University in Montreal.

While playing a game of poker, Changpeng Zhao developed an interest in cryptocurrencies after learning about Bitcoin and invested in it. Changpeng Zhao joined as the leader of the blockchain development team in 2013 and developed a cryptocurrency wallet that handled nearly 28% of all Bitcoin transactions.

Zhao, a co-founder of Binance, raised $15 million through an ICO after the company's launch in 2017 so that it could take off more quickly. Zhao only needed eight months to make Binance Exchange the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world by trading volume.

Binance provides more coins and derivatives to customers than its main rival, Coinbase, even though it is not popular among several American users. It's fascinating to learn that CZ had to sell his apartment to buy cryptocurrencies and is now the world's wealthiest individual.

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2. Chris Larsen (Ripple)

Net worth: $2.2 billion

Chris Larsen is another top cryptocurrency billionaire well known for having co-founded many Silicon Valley technology firms. The idea of using blockchain technology to help banks with international payments led to the launch of Ripple in 2012. Ripple technology development was to make sending money to a third party easier domestically and abroad.

Before the launch of Ripple, he co-founded Prosper, a peer-to-peer system, in 2005. And an online mortgage lender, e-Loan, in 1996. Peer-to-peer trades and a simple way to get loans without going to a conventional bank were made possible by this technology. It was anticipated that the market value of the E-Loan would exceed $1 billion in 2000. XRP currently has a market cap of $18.76 billion, indicating that the market places a high value on the asset.

Larsen made numerous early-stage investments in blockchain and other tech startups after leaving Ripple in December 2016. In April 2019, Larsen and his foundation donated $25 million to San Francisco State University. This donation was mostly in XRP.

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3. Winklevoss brothers (ВТС)

Net worth: $1.1 billion

Following the spike in Bitcoin prices in 2017, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss became top crypto billionaires overnight. After making investments with the millions they received from their lawsuit against Facebook, they became top contenders on the list of Bitcoin billionaires. They started hoarding Bitcoin using a portion of the $65 million legal settlement they had with the Facebook CEO.

They oversaw an investment round in BitInstant after amassing a sizable amount of Bitcoin. They became the first crypto billionaires in the cryptocurrency ecosystem following the late-2017 spike in Bitcoin prices.

In addition, the Winklevoss twins founded the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange. Also, they are the proprietors of Nifty Gateway, a marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

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4. Tim Draper (Bitcoin investor)

Net worth: $1.2 billion

Another prominent cryptocurrency billionaire who received extensive media attention for buying seized Bitcoins is Timothy Cook Draper. These Bitcoins were bought at an auction held by the US Marshals Service in July 2014 and originated from the Silk Road website. Tim Draper is a LEGENDARY investor in technology because he made early investments in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Draper intends to keep funding blockchain and cryptocurrency projects because he strongly believes in decentralization.

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5. Brian Armstrong (Coinbase)

Net worth: $2.6 billion

Brian Armstrong, an American business executive, is among the most well-known investors on the Bitcoin billionaires list. Armstrong, who founded Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency in North America, owns a 19% stake in the business. Interestingly, Coinbase is the first significant cryptocurrency company to go public in the US.

With a market cap of $17.08 billion, Coinbase is the most popular cryptocurrency exchange. Again, it is regarded as the entry point for retail investors into the crypto ecosystem because of its user-friendly interface and reputation.

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6. Daniel Larimer (Crypto Developer)

Net worth: $1.2 billion

Daniel Larimer is on the list of Bitcoin billionaires despite having started as the CEO of Invictus Innovations and a software engineer at Torc Robotics. Among the developers of BitShares and the Steem blockchain is Daniel Larimer. Bitshare contributes to the creation of cryptographic US dollars that are just as safe and simple to use as Bitcoin.

He served as the CTO for Block.One is a business engaged in the creation of EOS. Larimer has grown to be an incredibly wealthy crypto entrepreneur thanks to his investments in Steemit and EOS.

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7. Anthony Di Iorio (Former co-founder of Ethereum)

Net worth: $750 million - $1 billion

Blockchain technology pioneer Anthony Di Iorio is a well-known businessman from Canada. As a contributor to the development of Ethereum, he ranks among the richest Bitcoin owners. Di Iorio established the Decentral Blockchain Company, which has the popular Jaxx Wallet app and made early Bitcoin investments.

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8. Brad Garlinghouse (CEO, Ripple)

Net worth: 4.38 Million

Bradley Kent Garlinghouse, the CEO of the financial technology firm Ripple Labs, is one of the diligent bitcoin millionaires. Before becoming the CEO of Ripple, Brad was the CEO of the Hightail file collaboration service. He held executive positions at Yahoo! from 2003 to 2009, including Senior Vice President, before serving as President of Consumer Applications at AOL from 2009 to 2012.

The current CEO of Ripple is rumored to own additional XRP coins and a reported 6.3% ownership stake in the company.

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9. Brock Pierce (Former actor, venture capitalist, and co-founder of Blockchain Capital)

Net worth: $700 million - $1.1 billion

Brock American businessman Jeffrey Pierce is recognized for his contributions to the cryptocurrency sector. Aside from being a cryptocurrency billionaire, Pierce is a child actor starring in Disney films.

Pierce, who ranks among the richest Bitcoin owners, has a phenomenal net worth that is almost entirely the result of his early Bitcoin investments. He co-founded Blockchain Capital (BCC), a venture capital firm, with the Stephens brothers, “Bart and Bradford.” BCC was among the first businesses to raise money through blockchain-based digital security offerings, which resulted in the creation of its third fund.

Since then, this creative approach to fundraising has been employed by numerous businesses looking for investors.

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10. Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum)

Net worth: $400 million

In the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries, Vitalik Buterin, a co-founder of Ethereum, is among the crypto billionaires. Buterin, who practically owns an infinite supply of Ether, is a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency and blockchain communities.

To build a decentralized platform that would enable developers to create and deploy dApps on top of it, Buterin had a vision for the Ethereum blockchain. Over time, it advanced to become the world's top blockchain system.

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Cryptocurrency losers who lost all their capital

The previous year (2022) was not financially stable for cryptocurrency billionaires. Due to the cryptocurrency's volatility and related economic collapse and hacks, some investors eventually lost their money. The market experienced a crypto crash worth $1 trillion.

Bitcoin (BTC) lost over 50% of its value following the FTX collapse. The value of other significant altcoins, like Ethereum (ETH), also decreased. Thus, this development made some crypto billionaires millionaires, while others lost all their capital.

In a bid to recover their lost funds, investors filed thousands of lawsuits. According to a rough calculation, top crypto experts have lost a total of $112.7 billion during the specified period up to this point. Below is a list of the biggest losers in 2022.

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1. Sam Banckman-Fried (FTX)

On the list of the biggest losers in 2022, Sam Bankman-Fried, a former crypto billionaire and prominent figure in the crypto industry, leads the pack of cryptocurrency losers who lost all their capital. Before his empire fell apart in November 2022, he oversaw the FTX exchange and the trading company Alameda Research.

Sam Bankman, a cryptocurrency billionaire, is recalled for his covert activities in the field, which cost him $24 billion.

2. Barry Silbert (DCG, Genesis)

The CEO and founder of the Digital Currency Group (DCG), a group of five cryptocurrency-focused companies, is another biggest loser in 2022. Barry Silbert is his name, and he came on the list of the biggest losers in 2022 after losing over $3.2 billion.

After suffering devastating losses as a result of FTX and hedge fund Three Arrows Capital's failure, Genesis Trading filed for bankruptcy.

3. Do Kwon (CEO of Terraform Labs)

“Do Kwon” is on the list of the biggest losers in 2022 after becoming a top crypto billionaire and an investor with no earnings overnight. Over $40 billion in market value was lost after UST's collapse in 2022.

As a result of Terra-Luna's failure, the value of the Luna token decreased from about $120 to zero. As a result, over 25,000 South Korean investors had nightmares, and many claimed the crash had cost them their entire life savings.

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Can I get rich in crypto?

Yes, you can get rich investing in cryptocurrencies, but there are still more requirements to meet to join the crypto billionaires. Because you need a sizable amount of startup capital, it is challenging for a private investor to become a cryptocurrency billionaire. You also need to be willing to take more risks.

The decision to invest in cryptocurrencies may not be the best for you unless you have a very high-risk tolerance. When a cryptocurrency market becomes more volatile, especially when the economy sputters, even seasoned traders find it challenging to navigate it.

You can start your journey to crypto-financial success by investing in some of the many profitable digital currencies. But the challenge comes when it is time to choose the best of these coins or know which of the projects will appreciate over time.

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What do I need to become a cryptocurrency billionaire?

Most top crypto billionaires had other crypto-related investments. They did not become rich by only buying cryptocurrencies. They were also creating products and services that assisted in the operation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem as it expanded. Some investors created exchanges for trading cryptocurrencies, while others had services that had some kind of influence on the space.

However, to be among the richest Bitcoin owners, you will need to take on significant risk, so think about the following:

You need to comprehend the significance of Bitcoin and Ethereum mining and the processes.


Altcoins should also be your main priority. Investigate the most volatile cryptocurrencies and the exchanges that offer them. You should be aware that not all of the popular altcoins are accessible through some crypto exchanges. Therefore, it becomes your responsibility to research various crypto exchanges and the coins they make available to users.


Buy newly launched crypto tokens at presale prices, and these ICOs are offered to the public by newly launched blockchain projects.


Plan to invest and hold onto cryptocurrency for a while. Purchasing a digital asset and holding on to the investment for a long period is the primary strategy every beginner investor practice


Day trading is another way to earn modest but regular gains. Making predictions about the rise or fall of a specific cryptocurrency pair, like BTC/USD, is what day trading entails.


You can engage in crypto yield farming and lending, a method of making money by lending crypto tokens to other individuals.

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FAQs

How many crypto billionaires are there?

There are currently 19 crypto billionaires, and they have all accrued their wealth through investments and the provision of services related to cryptocurrencies. Nevertheless, according to the most recent research, there are over 425 million cryptocurrency owners globally.

Who is the richest crypto billionaire?

The richest crypto executive is Changpeng Zhao, founder, and CEO of Binance. Before and after the market crash in 2022 that made some other crypto billionaires the biggest losers, he continued to be the wealthiest. Known affectionately as "CZ," Changpeng Zhao is the driving force behind Binance, one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

Who lost billions in crypto?

Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of Binance, is the crypto billionaire who has lost the most money as a result of the 2022 crypto crisis, with a net worth decline of 82 billion dollars.

Who is the youngest crypto billionaire?

Sam Bankman-Fried, a 30-year-old crypto billionaire, is the youngest, but after the FTX collapse, that statement is no longer valid.

Team that worked on the article

Peter Emmanuel Chijioke
Contributor

Peter Emmanuel Chijioke is a professional personal finance, Forex, crypto, blockchain, NFT, and Web3 writer and a contributor to the Traders Union website. As a computer science graduate with a robust background in programming, machine learning, and blockchain technology, he possesses a comprehensive understanding of software, technologies, cryptocurrency, and Forex trading.

Having skills in blockchain technology and over 7 years of experience in crafting technical articles on trading, software, and personal finance, he brings a unique blend of theoretical knowledge and practical expertise to the table. His skill set encompasses a diverse range of personal finance technologies and industries, making him a valuable asset to any team or project focused on innovative solutions, personal finance, and investing technologies.

Ivan Andriyenko
Author at Traders Union

Ivan is a financial expert and analyst specializing in Forex, crypto, and stock trading. He prefers conservative trading strategies with low and medium risks, as well as medium-term and long-term investments. He has been working with financial markets for 8 years. Ivan prepares text materials for novice traders. He specializes in reviews and assessment of brokers, analyzing their reliability, trading conditions, and features.

Mirjan Hipolito
Cryptocurrency and stock expert

Mirjan Hipolito is a journalist and news editor at Traders Union. She is an expert crypto writer with five years of experience in the financial markets. Her specialties are daily market news, price predictions, and Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). Mirjan is a cryptocurrency and stock trader. This deep understanding of the finance sector allows her to create informative and engaging content that helps readers easily navigate the complexities of the crypto world.