Blockchain Billionaires: The 10 Richest Crypto Investors in 2024

Despite being a relatively new asset class, cryptocurrency has been a key driver in creating numerous new millionaires and billionaires.

While most of these individuals are crypto founders, some are merely amateur investors with a sharp eye for potential.

This article will identify and examine the top ten richest crypto investors in 2024, offering background on each individual and how they obtained 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 over the past 12 months to an all-time high of $73,000. This helped boost the total value of all outstanding cryptocurrencies by 170% and, in turn, created a new class of billionaires.

According to Forbes’ 2024 World’s Billionaires list, there are now at least 17 crypto billionaires, compared to nine last year. The collective worth of these billionaires has more than doubled in the past year to $93 billion.

The 10 richest crypto investors

Here is our list of the world’s richest crypto investors in ascending order, with some background on each person and their investment history.

10. Jed McCaleb ($2.9 billion net worth)

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

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

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

In 2014, McCaleb launched Stellar, a competitor to Ripple, with the aim of connecting financial institutions and supporting cross-border transactions. Presently, McCaleb dedicates most of his resources to Vast, a space exploration company.

9. Matthew Roszak ($3.1 billion net worth)

Matthew Roszak is an early Bitcoin investor who first invested in 2010. Before starting his crypto journey, Roszak worked in venture capital and as an entrepreneur. In 2006, he even settled insider trading charges related to the purchase of shares of a propane tank exchange business, Blue Rhino.

He also runs Bloq, a blockchain startup that invests in and supports crypto venture, in addition to being the co-founder of Tally Capital, a private investment firm focusing on cryptocurrencies and blockchain-enabled technology.

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

8. Fred Ehrsam ($3.2 billion net worth)

Fred Ehrsam is an American entrepreneur who co-founded Coinbase in 2012 along with Brian Armstrong. He left the company in 2017, but maintained about 5% ownership. 

Before Coinbase, Ehrsam worked for Goldman Sachs as a trader in the firm’s foreign exchange division. He left the company to pursue his interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

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

7. Chris Larsen ($3.2 billion net worth)

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

Larsen co-founded Ripple Labs in 2012 and holds roughly an 18% stake in the company. He stepped down as Ripple CEO in December 2016, but remains the company’s executive chairman.

Ripple’s $XRP cryptocurrency is among the largest in market capitalization, and Larsen reportedly possesses more than 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.

Five crypto #billionaires increased their wealth over the past three months, despite the challenges faced by the cryptocurrency market, including regulatory measures, with Chris Larsen being the biggest winner.#Forbeshttps://t.co/utvXCczOgT

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

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

As the former CEO of blockchain firm Tether, Jean-Louis van der Velde 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 in 1985 to attend university in Taiwan, co-founded many IT and tech startups in Asia before joining Tether, ranging from hardware design to development, and software. He has also been connected with the early development of numerous technologies, including web-based applications, digital marketing, video streaming, and more.

His net worth was estimated at around $1.8 billion in July 2023.

Big moves at @Tether_to! @paoloardoino takes the helm as CEO, succeeding Jean-Louis van der Velde.https://t.co/l0769LzSal

— BTC Times (@btc) October 14, 2023

5. Paolo Ardoino ($3.9 billion net worth)

Paolo Ardoino is the CEO of Tether and holds roughly a 20% stake in the company. He has considerable experience creating technology solutions for the decentralized world and has worked as a computer programmer in numerous startups.

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

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

4. Michael Saylor ($4.4 billion net worth)

Michael Saylor is the CEO of MicroStrategy, a software firm he started in the 1990s and later restructured into a Bitcoin investment vehicle. He graduated with the highest honors from MIT in 1987.

MicroStrategy started investing in cryptocurrency in 2022 with a purchase of $8,813 $BTC. The company is estimated to hold about 193,000 Bitcoin, making it the biggest corporate holder globally.

Saylor, considered the biggest gainer from crypto in percentage terms, holds more than 17,000 $BTC. MicroStrategy’s shares have gained by about 500% since last year.

Some have asked how much #BTC I own. I personally #hodl 17,732 BTC which I bought at $9,882 each on average. I informed MicroStrategy of these holdings before the company decided to buy #bitcoin for itself.

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

3. Giancarlo Devasini ($9.2 billion net worth)

Giancarlo Devasini is the CFO of Tether. Tether is a stablecoin, meaning it is a form of cryptocurrency that is pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Devasini was initially a plastic surgeon but left the job after two years due to dissatisfaction with the profession. He entered the blockchain space in 2012 and initially offered DVDs and CDs for Bitcoin on a popular forum.

Last year, Tether made a profit of $6.2 billion because of the interest generated from customers’ collateral.

Devasini owns a 47% stake in Tether and is likely its biggest shareholder. Devasini’s net worth was estimated to be $4 billion as of last July.

If you haven't read it yet, here's an introduction to Giancarlo Devasini, a key man at crypto heavy-hitter Tether: https://t.co/xbJh3iyhNq

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

— Katie Martin (@katie_martin_fx) July 15, 2021

2. Brian Armstrong ($11.2 billion net worth)

Brian Armstrong is an American entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO of Coinbase, the largest US-based cryptocurrency exchange. Before co-founding Coinbase, he worked as a software engineer at various leading tech companies, including IBM and Airbnb.

In 2012, Armstrong co-founded Coinbase (with Fred Ehrsam), which soon became popular among crypto enthusiasts for its easy-to-use interface and robust security measures. Coinbase was the first cryptocurrency exchange to go public, listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange through a direct listing in April 2021.

Coinbase’s market capitalization reached $100 billion soon after going public. Armstrong owns roughly a 19% stake in Coinbase.

$COIN Net Income in 1Q24 of $1.18B vs 1Q23 of -$78.9M is absolutely insane.@brian_armstrong is smack dab in the middle of the greatest transfer of wealth the worlds ever seen, brokering his bag off, and will be one of the planet’s richest people when all is said + done.

— Chris Agnew (@C_Agnew13) May 2, 2024

1. Changpeng Zhao ($33 billion net worth)

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

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

Zhao, who founded Binance in 2017, gained most of his wealth from the success of Binance and its affiliated token (BNB). Before the crypto meltdown, his net worth was estimated to be around $65 billion in 2022.

Last year, Zhao agreed to pay $200 million in fines over federal money laundering charges. Also, he agreed to step down from the role of Binance CEO and is barred from participating in Binance’s activities for three years.

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