Meet the Richest Crypto Investors and Their Jaw-Dropping Fortunes

The 10 Richest Crypto Investors in 2024

Despite the recent downturn in the crypto market, several investors have made massive gains since entering the space. Here are the top 10 wealthiest crypto investors and how they made their fortunes:

1. Changpeng Zhao (Net Worth: $33 Billion) Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, is the founder and former CEO of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Zhao's net worth overwhelmingly comes from his majority stake in Binance, which accounted for billions of dollars in revenue annually during its peak.
2. Brian Armstrong (Net Worth: $11.2 Billion) American entrepreneur Brian Armstrong is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, a popular cryptocurrency exchange. Armstrong's fortune stems primarily from his approximate 19% ownership stake in Coinbase, which went public in 2021.
3. Giancarlo Devasini (Net Worth: $9.2 Billion) Giancarlo Devasini is the CFO of Tether, a popular stablecoin. Devasini's fortune stems from his significant stake in Tether, with some estimating it to be around 47%.
4. Michael Saylor (Net Worth: $4.4 Billion) Michael Saylor is the CEO of MicroStrategy, a software company. He also holds significant bitcoin investments, with the firm holding around 193,000 bitcoins. Most of Saylor's fortune comes from these bitcoin investments made on behalf of MicroStrategy.
5. Paolo Ardoino (Net Worth: $3.9 Billion) Paolo Ardoino is the CEO of Tether and holds a substantial stake in the company. Ardoino's wealth is closely tied to the success of Tether, a leading stablecoin.
6. Jean-Louis van der Velde (Net Worth: $3.9 Billion) Jean-Louis van der Velde is the former CEO of Tether. He currently holds a significant stake in the company. A large portion of van der Velde's wealth comes from his ownership stake in Tether.
7. Chris Larsen (Net Worth: $3.2 Billion) Chris Larsen is an American entrepreneur known for co-founding Ripple Labs, where he serves as executive chairman. A large portion of Larsen's fortune comes from his ownership stake in Ripple and its digital currency XRP.
8. Fred Ehrsam (Net Worth: $3.2 Billion) Fred Ehrsam is an American entrepreneur and co-founder of Coinbase. He currently owns approximately 5% of the company. Ehrsam's fortune largely comes from his ownership stake in Coinbase.
9. Matthew Roszak (Net Worth: $3.1 Billion) Matthew Roszak is an early Bitcoin investor who put money into the asset in 2010. He is also the co-founder of blockchain startup Bloq and co-founder of Tally Capital, a crypto- and blockchain-focused investment firm. Roszak's fortune stems primarily from his advantageous early investments in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
10. Jed McCaleb (Net Worth: $2.9 Billion) Jed McCaleb is an American programmer and entrepreneur who co-founded Ripple Labs. He is also the creator of Stellar, a competing blockchain network to Ripple. McCaleb's wealth largely comes from his XRP holdings and his involvement with these blockchain networks.

The crypto market is known for its volatility and rapid changes, so these figures should be approached with that in mind.

It's important to note that Forbes' estimates are based on various methodologies and assumptions, and the actual wealth of these individuals could be higher or lower. Additionally, this information is based on publicly available data and may not reflect their total assets or investments, including those that are undisclosed.