3X as many crypto figures make it onto Forbes 2021 billionaires list as last year

Published at: April 8, 2021

Forbes released their annual billionaires list on April 6, with Amazon overlord Jeff Bezos and his $177 billion topping the list for a fourth consecutive year.

Announcing Forbes’ 35th Annual World’s Billionaires List -- The Richest in 2021 #ForbesBillionaires https://t.co/Sc7ie8JlQI pic.twitter.com/YniOjfZwSi

— Forbes (@Forbes) April 6, 2021

The “digital gold rush” has seen nine new crypto billionaires join the Forbes list, pushing the total up to 12 (depending on whether you count the Winklevoss twins as one or two entries.) That's up from just four in last year's Forbes World’s Billionaires list

Sam Bankman-Fried - Newcomer

Sam Bankman-Fried is the wealthiest crypto-billionaire, with a net worth of $8.7 billion. Bankman-Fried founded trading firm Alameda Research and popular derivatives exchange FTX. The 29-year old has made waves in the crypto space, with FTX recently winning the naming rights to Miami Heat’s home stadium for 19 years. Cointelegraph recently ranked Bankman-Fried as the third most influential figure in crypto for 2020.

The Winklevoss Twins - Newcomers

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have a net worth of $3 billion each and started investing in Bitcoin in 2012. The brothers famously sued Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg for IP theft in 2004 and won a $65 million settlement which they used to invest in Bitcoin. They started the crypto exchange Gemini in 2014, and they purchased Nifty Gateway in November 2019.

Chris Larsen - Returnee

Larsen, the co-founder of Ripple Labs saw his net worth grow from $2.6 billion to $3.4 billion over the past year.

Larson and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse have been fighting an ongoing dispute with the SEC in relation to XRP and unregistered securities offerings. However, the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple hasn’t appeared to affect its token too badly, with XRP increasing by 387% in the last 12 months.

Jed McCaleb - Newcomer

McCaleb is another co-founder of Ripple, and reportedly holds 3.4 billion XRP and 1 billion Stellar Lumens — the cryptocurrency he founded after leaving Ripple — with his holdings adding up to a net worth of $2 billion. Cointelegraph reported that McCaleb sold off $400 million worth of his XRP holdings in 2020 alone.

Michael Saylor - Newcomer

Saylor is the CEO of listed company MicroStrategy and co-founded the software giant in 1989, and now has a net worth of $2.3 billion. Saylor has become the leading advocate for corporations holding Bitcoin on balance sheets. Since its first purchase of Bitcoin in August 2020, Microstrategy has invested $2.226 billion, taking its tally up to 91,579 Bitcoins at an average cost of $24,311 per Bitcoin.

MicroStrategy has purchased an additional ~253 bitcoins for $15.0 million in cash at an average price of ~$59,339 per #bitcoin. As of 4/5/2021, we #hodl ~91,579 bitcoins acquired for ~$2.226 billion at an average price of ~$24,311 per bitcoin. $MSTRhttps://t.co/OMQMhA85xw

— Michael Saylor (@michael_saylor) April 5, 2021

Brain Armstrong - Returnee

Armstrong is the CEO and co-founder of Coinbase and his net worth has gone from $1 billion to $6.5 billion within 12 months. Coinbase also had a successful year, generating $1 billion in revenue, and it's set for a direct listing in a week. That will value Armstrong's shares somewhere north of $14B, meaning he may well top the crypto billionaires' list next year.

Fred Ersham - Newcomer

Ersham co-founded Coinbase with Brian Armstrong in 2012 and left the firm in 2017. He is now a board member of the company, and his 6% stake has an estimated worth of $1.9 billion.

Changpeng Zhao

Zhao is the founder of the largest crypto exchange Binance and owns an estimated 30% stake in the company. Zhao’s net worth is $1.9 billion, and the digital gold rush has been good to the Binance founder, with Binance Coin becoming the second-largest altcoin by market cap. Zhao revealed earlier this week that he holds close to 100% of his portfolio in crypto.

Matthew Roszak - Newcomer

Roszak is the Chairman and co-founder of blockchain technology firm Bloq and is a leading crypto and blockchain investor. Roszak is also a founding member of Tally Capital a crypto-focused private investment firm and has a net worth of $1.5 billion.

Tim Draper - Newcomer

Draper is a crypto evangelist with a net worth of $1.5 billion. He bought $18.7 million worth of Bitcoin in 2014 after it was confiscated from the Silk Road black market. Draper was also one of the primary investors in the Tezos project and co-founded Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a leading investment firm in early-stage tech startups.

Barry Silbert - Newcomer

Silbert founded the crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group in 2015 and has a net worth of $1.6 billion. The DCG owns asset management firm Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, which currently has $46 billion worth of assets under management.

Tags
Business
Forbes
Related Posts
Blockchain company Borderless Services Inc.: Forbes should be ‘under US ownership’
Blockchain holding group Borderless Services Inc. made headlines in late April amid reports that it had placed a $700 million bid to acquire business news publisher Forbes Media LLC. In an interview with Cointelegraph, CEO Patrick McConlogue shed light on the acquisition target and why it aligns with the organization’s overall vision. “Acquiring any company is a long process, and there are a lot of moving parts,” McConlogue wrote in an email, adding: “We are excited to participate either as owners, partners, or combined force with the other bidders. Collectively we all want Forbes back under US ownership and are …
Bitcoin / June 1, 2021
Winklevoss brothers top Forbes Bitcoin billionaires list
Major business magazine Forbes has featured Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss as the richest Bitcoin (BTC) billionaires. Compiled by Forbes crypto-focused reporter Michael del Castillo, the ranking provides a list of Bitcoin investors that won the most from Bitcoin’s massive surge up to $42,000 in early January. The ranking includes three Bitcoin investors with an estimated crypto net worth above $1 billion, including the Winklevoss brothers, major industry investor Tim Draper and Matthew Roszak, chairman and co-founder of blockchain firm Bloq. The twins topped the list with an estimated cryptocurrency net worth of around $1.4 billion apiece. Roszak and …
Bitcoin / Jan. 12, 2021
Majority of TON Investors Reportedly Choose to Quit for 72% Refund
On May 12, Telegram officially terminated its involvement in its planned blockchain project, the Telegram Open Network, and its corresponding GRAM token. Apparently ending its long-running legal battle with the United States’ regulators, Telegram still needs to sort out $1.7 billion raised in an initial coin offering, or ICO, in 2018. Prior to abandoning the troubled TON project, Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov introduced a reimbursement scheme, offering TON investors two choices — immediate 72% refund, or a 110% refund in 12 months. Major $70 million investor is preparing to quit with 72% According to a May 16 report …
Blockchain / May 16, 2020
Supply chain and logistics projects dominate additions to Forbes Blockchain 50
More than half of companies added to the Forbes Blockchain 50 list for the first time this year are using blockchain to resolve logistical issues faced in their line of business. Eleven of the 21 new entrants added to the annual tally are applying blockchain and DLT-based solutions to problems regarding supply chains, product tracking and shipping information. According to Forbes, “hundreds of sizable companies are now using Bitcoin and its underlying technology to make their operations more efficient.” “Most companies on the Blockchain 50, however, are not Bitcoin speculators but rather are looking to employ the technology underlying the …
Blockchain / Feb. 3, 2021
Ten crypto leaders are in the new Forbes 30 Under 30 list
Ten of the youthful business leaders featured in this year’s Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list work in blockchain and cryptocurrency, highlighting increasing acceptance of the industry from the mainstream media. Despite its name, the list actually highlights 600 young people across various categories — with the crypto alumni including seven individuals in the finance category, one in venture capital, one in energy, and one in manufacturing. The finance category features the founder of the $1.2 billion crypto derivatives exchange FTX, and quantitative trading firm Alameda Research, Sam Bankman-Fried. Since launching last year, FTX has made waves by offering innovative products …
Blockchain / Dec. 2, 2020