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Cryptocurrencies are known to be volatile, with fortunes quickly changing as a result. However, there are a handful of billionaires who have been involved with cryptos almost from the start and can thank the crypto industry for their riches. Other crypto billionaires entered the game a bit later but made sound financial choices and trades and are reaping the rewards today.

8. Matthew Rozsak

Net Worth: $1.4 billion

Matthew Rozsak was one of the earlier Bitcoin investors, purchasing the cryptocurrency in 2010 and building his portfolio in 2012. The majority of his wealth is due to cryptocurrencies, as he has since invested in Ethereum and Binance’s token BNB.

 

Matthew stepped into the public eye when he co-founded blockchain startup Bloq, which allows banks to store cryptocurrencies similar to how individuals use a Bitcoin wallet and also facilitates crypto transactions for businesses.

7. Fred Ehrsam

Net Worth: $2.4 Billion

Reportedly, Fred Ehrsam’s first introduction to crypto was in World of Warcraft. Ehrsam co-founded Coinbase with Brian Armstrong in 2012 but left the company in 2017. He still remains on the board and holds some stock, and Coinbase is today the largest crypto exchange in the US. He then co-founded crypto investment firm Paradigm in 2018, which is currently managing more than $8 billion in digital assets.

6. Jed McCaleb

Net Worth: $2.9 billion

Jed McCaleb is another billionaire who entered the crypto scene early on. He created Mt. Gox in 2010, the first popular Bitcoin exchange. Fortunately, he sold it in 2011, before the infamous hacking situation.

 

McCaleb then co-founded Ripple with Chris Larsen but left shortly after its founding because of disagreements with the other founders. His billions come from selling the 9 billion XRP he amassed as Ripple co-founder. The last of his coins were reportedly sold in 2022.

5. Michael Saylor

Net Worth: $7.6 billion

Michael Saylor founded MicroStrategy, one of the largest Bitcoin holders in the world, reportedly owning 193,000 BTC. Saylor also has a personal Bitcoin stash. He revealed in 2021 that he holds 17,732 which he purchased for $175 million.

 

Saylor also announced that he is in the process of cashing out the MicroStrategy stock, which amounts to around $200 million.

4. Brian Armstrong

Net Worth: $7.8 billion

As mentioned, Brian Armstrong is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase along with Fred Ehrsam. Brian is the largest shareholder in the company, holding around 19% of the shares. Although Coinbase was founded in 2012, when crypto was in its infancy, it only started trading publically in 2021 on the Nasdaq. Soon after, Coinbase had a market cap of $100 billion.

 

Armstrong has reportedly sold around $170 million worth of Coinbase stock since November 2024, using an automated trading plan.

3. Chris Larsen

Net Worth: $8.2 billion

Chris Larsen co-founded Ripple, a platform that facilitates international payments using XRP. He retired his role as CEO of the company in 2016 but remains on the board as executive chairman. He holds an 18% stake valued at approximately $3.8 billion.

 

Larsen also has a private stash of 2.8 billion XRP tokens as well as another $1 billion in various investments and cash due to prior XRP sales. Some of his wealth also comes from his co-founding of e-Loan in 1996, a digital home loan lender.

2. Giancarlo Devasini

Net Worth: $22.4 billion

Devasini is the CFO of Tether, the stablecoin issuer. He is likely also the largest shareholder in the company, reportedly holding 47% of the shares. Stablecoins are pegged to a fiat currency, like the US dollar, and are therefore not as volatile as other types of cryptocurrencies.

 

Over 100 billion Tether tokens have been minted since the founding of the company in 2014, and it generated $6.2 billion in profit in 2024 due to interest from customers’ assets.

1. Changpeng Zhao

Net Worth: $62.6 billion

Changpeng Zhao has experienced first-hand the volatility of the crypto industry. At the start of 2021 his net worth was $1.9 billion. The next year, he was worth $65 billion, and then shortly after his worth dropped back to $5 billion. Currently, his net worth is estimated at $632.6 billion.

 

Zhao is the co-founder of Binance, the world’s biggest crypto exchange by trading volume. He was formerly the CEO until he stepped down in 2023. He reportedly still holds 90% of Binance shares.

 

The Department of Justice and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission also brought money laundering charges against him, for which he agreed to pay the $200 million fines while Binance paid the other $4.5 billion. Zhao was also sent to prison for four months in April 2024 after pleading guilty to the charges, although these charges barely dented his fortune.

Wrapping Up

Cryptocurrencies are becoming adopted as mainstream financial systems, and it is likely that the future will bring even more people making billions of dollars off of digital assets. Crypto billionaires are created through various means, from smart investments in cryptocurrencies to establishing crypto-related companies. There are reportedly over 325 crypto centi-millionaires, those with $100 million or more, and it is expected that many of these will enjoy the status of a crypto billionaire in the near future.