Bitcoin for the wealthy: Where crypto millionaires come from

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Bitcoin for the wealthy

Crypto fortunes are growing

According to the Crypto Wealth Report 2026 by Henley & Partners, there are 135,694 people worldwide with at least $1 million in crypto assets. Of them, 92,272 are Bitcoin millionaires. Another 290 people hold more than $100 million in digital assets, while the number of crypto billionaires has reached 23.

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At the same time, the market remains far below its peak. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization exceeds $2.6 trillion, with Bitcoin accounting for nearly $1.6 trillion. Bitcoin itself is trading about 38% below the all-time high set in October 2025.

Cryptocurrencies have also moved far beyond a small group of early investors. Henley & Partners estimates that around 742 million people hold digital assets in one form or another. About 371 million of them own Bitcoin.

Bitcoin’s current decline is also much milder than previous major downturns. After the peaks of 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2021, its price fell by more than 75% each time. In 2026, the drawdown from the peak is roughly half as large.

What changed in two years

How quickly major fortunes grew can be seen in Forbes data from 2024. At the time, the magazine counted 17 crypto billionaires. A year earlier, there were only nine. Their combined wealth rose from $37 billion to $93 billion in one year, more than doubling.

The richest person in the industry was Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. Forbes estimated his fortune at $33 billion, up from $10.5 billion a year earlier. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s net worth rose from $2.2 billion to $11.2 billion over the same period, while Michael Saylor’s increased from $760 million to $4.4 billion.

The growth was not driven only by higher digital asset prices. The Forbes list also included major owners of crypto companies. For example, Armstrong’s wealth was tied to his 18% stake in Coinbase, while four major Tether shareholders — Giancarlo Devasini, Paolo Ardoino, Jean-Louis van der Velde and Stuart Hoegner — appeared in the ranking for the first time.

At the time, the market was also recovering rapidly from the downturn. Over 12 months, Bitcoin more than doubled in price, while the total cryptocurrency market capitalization rose 170%, adding about $1.6 trillion.

Why there are more crypto millionaires

The number of wealthy crypto holders is rising not only because more people own digital assets. There are also far more ways to generate returns. Large portfolio holders use staking, lending, derivatives trading and other instruments.

At the same time, an entire business ecosystem has grown around digital assets. One of the clearest examples is Tether. By the end of 2025, the amount of USDT in circulation had reached $186.5 billion, increasing by about $50 billion over the year. Tether itself generated more than $10 billion in profit during the period.

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Stablecoins have also become more than just a source of profit for their issuers. They are increasingly used to move dollar liquidity across borders. The Crypto Wealth Report gives an example in which funds can be transferred within minutes between a custodian in Dubai, a family office in Singapore and a European bank account without using a U.S. correspondent bank.

Digital assets are also becoming easier to access for traditional investors. Spot Bitcoin ETFs have appeared in the U.S., digital asset services in Singapore are licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and Dubai established a dedicated virtual asset regulator back in 2022. Switzerland continues to develop its blockchain cluster in Zug and exempts private investors from capital gains tax.

Wealth is moving beyond Bitcoin

The rise in the number of crypto millionaires shows that digital assets are no longer a market only for early investors and speculators. Large fortunes are now being built not only through Bitcoin appreciation, but also through crypto businesses, stablecoins, investment products and infrastructure.

As the use of digital assets expands and more ways to work with them emerge, more people gain opportunities to build substantial wealth. That means the next wave of crypto millionaires will depend not only on new Bitcoin price records, but also on how deeply cryptocurrencies become integrated into the traditional financial system.

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