Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance
The 44-year-old boss is at the head of the largest crypto-currency exchange platform and his heritage is dangerously close to that of the leaders of the tech giants across the Atlantic. Depending on the sources, the estimated value of CZ (nickname commonly given to the Chinese boss) can vary from simple to double and even sometimes to triple. For exemple, Forbes estimates that his net worth hovers around $65 billion while Bloomberg estimates it at $33 billion. A difference that takes him from 20th to 36th in the ranking of billionaires on the planet.
These figures should be put into perspective because Bloomberg mentions that “the billionaire said he had also invested in bitcoin (BTC) and binance coin (BNB). The sum of cryptocurrency held directly by the billionaire is not included as the amount is unknown.” We can therefore think that CZ’s fortune is much higher than that displayed, but its exact value therefore remains unknown.
Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of FTX
Another boss who is at the head of a famous crypto-currency platform. The American just 30 years old also sat on a nice jackpot, and this time, the ranking of Forbes and Bloomberg are found within a few billion on the same estimate. SBF, the nickname given to the young billionaire, would hold a fortune revolving around 20 billion dollars.
Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase
The 39-year-old Coinbase founder is next on the list of crypto billionaires. At the head of one of the most popular crypto-currency exchange platforms, the American would hold a fortune revolving around 6 billion dollars at present. Note that when the Nasdaq exchange platform was introduced in March 2021, the Californian’s fortune was estimated at $ 16 billion. An example that shows how quickly the jackpot of these billionaires can flare up in both directions.
The following graph displays the fortunes of crypto-billionaires (in billions of dollars) as well as relatively well-known personalities with a fortune substantially close to each of them.
To construct the following graph, we relied on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
“The Bloomberg Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the richest people in the world. Details on the calculations are provided in the net worth analysis on each billionaire’s profile page. The numbers are updated at the end of each New York trading day.”
Satoshi Nakamoto, creator of Bitcoin
For your information, in the first years after the start of the Bitcoin network in 2009, the mysterious creator(s) would have mined 1.1 million bitcoins. These bitcoins were never sold and are most likely lost forever, but at the current price ($40,000), that’s worth $44 billion anyway. Which would position Nakamoto in the Top 30 richest individuals in the world.