Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Cha-Ching! Forbes' List of Cryptocurrency's Richest People

Cha-Ching! Forbes' List of Cryptocurrency's Richest People
Photo Credit: Chesnot/Getty Images

A net worth of $350,000,000 was required to make the cut.

Make us preferred on Google

The Cryptocurrency craze has made a select group of individuals really, really rich. Now we know who they are, thanks to Forbes.


Forbes compiled a list of the richest crypocurrency moguls for their February 28, 2018 issue. To make the top 10 cut, a net worth of $350 million or more was required. The average age of Forbes top crypto-zillionaires is only 42, compared to the average age of 67 for Forbes 400 wealthiest Americans.


Bitcoin.

Giphy

"Our first-ever Crypto Rich list provides a snapshot of a pivotal moment, part of the transparency needed to pull crypto away from its provenance as an unknown currency," said Forbes Media Chief Content Officer Randall Lane.

Forbes' top ten:

NameTitleCrypto net worth
1. Chris LarsenCo-founder, Ripple$7.5bn - $8bn
2. Joseph LubinCo-founder, Ethereum and founder at Consensys$1bn - $5bn
3. Changpeng "CZ" ZhaoCEO, Binance$1.1bn - $2bn
4. Tyler and Cameron WinklevossCo-founders, Winklevoss Capital$900m-$1.1bn each
5. Matthew MellonIndividual investor$900m - $1bn
6. Brian ArmstrongCEO, Coinbase$900m - $1bn
7. Matthew RoszakCo-founder, BIoQ and founder at Tally Capital$900m - $1bn
8. Anthony Di IorioCo-founder at Ethereum and founder at Jaxx and Decentral$750m - $1bn
9. Brock PierceChairman, Bitcoin Foundation and advisor at Block.One$700m - $1bn
10. Michael NovogratzCEO, Galaxy Digital$700m - $1bn

Rounding out spots 11 through 19 are these individuals:

  • Brendan Blumer: CEO, Block.one
    • Age 31, $600-700M
  • Dan Larimer: Chief Technology Officer, Block.one
    • Age 35, $600-700M
  • Valery Vavilov: CEO, Bitfury
    • Age 38, $500-700M
  • Charles Hoskinson: Cofounder, Etherium, OIHK
    • Age 30, $500-600M
  • Brad Garlinghouse: CEO, Ripple
    • Age 47, $400-500M
  • Barry Silbert: CEO, Digital Currency Group
    • Age 41, $400-500M
  • Vitalik Buterin: Creator of Etherium
    • Age 24, $400-500M
  • Tim Draper: Founder, Draper Associates
    • Age 59, $350-500M
  • Song Chi-Hyung: CEO, Dunamu, Founder, Upbit
    • Age 38, $350-500M

They've made some serious coin virtually overnight.

Giphy

Since the beginning of 2017, the aggregate value of the 1500 crypto-assets has ballooned to a whopping $550 billion. This amounts to an average 14,409 percent price increase of the three biggest cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Etherium, and Ripple.

According to Forbes, "we based our numbers on estimated holdings of cryptocurrencies (a few provided proof), post-tax profits from trading crypto-assets and stakes in crypto-related businesses, and locked in our estimates using prices on Jan. 19, 2018."

More from News

Navarone Garibaldi Garcia; Priscilla Presley
@nava_rone/Instagram; Manoli Figetakis/Getty Images

Priscilla Presley's Son Fires Back At Critics Over GoFundMe Backlash For Pizza Company Based In His Driveway

If you're a celebrity's kid, you just can't win. Use your family's pull and you're a "nepo baby"; try to fundraise to start your own business and you're a shady grifter.

At least, that's how one celebrity spawn seems to feel.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Li Yuanqing/Xinhua via Getty Images

Trump Says He'll Take A 'Look' At Making American The Official Language—And People Have Jokes

In an executive order dated March 1, 2025, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump declared, without the authority to do so, that English would be the official language of the United States.

In a recent phoned in appearance on The Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump agreed to contemplate changing that order. Hewitt is a former Reagan administration official, president and CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation, and right-wing talk radio personality.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scott Bessent; Jesse Watters
Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Shows Off New $100 Bills With Trump's Signature—And Critics Have Thoughts

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did not get a positive response after appearing on Fox News host Jesse Watters' program to show off bills that include President Donald Trump's signature set to enter circulation soon in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday.

Federal law generally prohibits depicting living people on U.S. currency. However, the Treasury Department has argued that the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which Trump signed during his first term, provides the administration with legal authority to make an exception for commemorative designs tied to the nation's semiquincentennial celebrations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Altan Gocher / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images

Scathing 10-Foot 'Iran War Participation Trophy' Appears In DC To Mock Trump For 'Enthusiastic Involvement' In Iran War

President Donald Trump was criticized by a group of anonymous artists called Secret Handshake that unveiled a massive gold participation trophy in Washington, D.C. that mocks the president for starting the war in Iran.

Photos of the statue have gone viral as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate. Trump announced he would scrap a proposed 20% reimbursement fee on cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf nations would instead increase investments in the United States.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alison Hammond (left) and Prince Harry (right) shared a memorable on-air reunion while promoting the Invictus Games.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images; Heathcliff O'MALLEY / POOL / AFP via Getty Images

Reporter Alison Hammond Hilariously Ditches Live Segment To Bumrush Prince Harry For A Hug In Now-Viral Clip

Alison Hammond reacted to seeing Prince Harry the same way many people probably would—she just happened to do it on live television. In a matter of seconds, the live segment transformed into a decidedly Prince Charming encounter between the presenter and the royal.

Hammond was in her hometown of Birmingham on Friday to speak with the Duke of Sussex about the Invictus Games, which will arrive in the city next year. The interview, however, briefly became secondary the moment she spotted Prince Harry approaching from behind.

Keep ReadingShow less