- Harry Silbert
Nicknamed “The King of Crypto”, Barry Silbert leads the Digital Currency Group. Silbert is also the company’s founder and CEO with a net worth of $1.6 billion, according to Forbes. Digital Currency Group’s objective is to hasten the growth of the global financial system. It accomplishes this by establishing and promoting Bitcoin and blockchain-based businesses. Silbert’s influence has expanded across industries thanks to DCG.
During the pandemic, the total assets under management (AUM) increased to more than $20 billion. JPMorgan analysts have even stated that the trust’s assets are crucial in deciding Bitcoin’s price. With over 100 Bitcoin and blockchain-related firms under his belt.
2. Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong is the creator of Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in North America in terms of trading volume. After quitting his job as a software developer at Airbnb in 2012, he co-founded the exchange. Armstrong owns 19% of Coinbase and Forbes estimates that he will be worth $10.9 billion by December 2021. Armstrong’s net worth was $10.2 billion in the same time period, according to Bloomberg’s billionaire index.
3. Sam Bankman-Fried
The 29-year-old MIT graduate who launched FTX has risen quickly to the status of crypto billionaire. FTX grew to become one of the world’s most prominent crypto exchanges and was valued at $8.7 billion by Forbes in April 2021. FTX sets itself apart from the competition by delivering a variety of new items that are not available on other exchanges, namely complex derivatives, digital tokens of physical shares, and pre-IPO contracts.
When Bankman-Fried donated more than $5 million to current US Vice President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, he made headlines. He’s a vegan from California who describes himself as an effective altruist—someone who maximises his social impact across a wide range of societal endeavours.
4. Michael Saylor
Michael Saylor is the CEO of MicroStrategy Incorporated, a software company. The company began buying cryptocurrency in August 2020 when it purchased $250 million worth of Bitcoin. The company stated at the time that it was purchasing cryptocurrencies in order to make better use of funds on its balance sheet.
Saylor has become a vocal proponent of Bitcoin over time, appearing on TV shows and at cryptocurrency conferences to promote its merits and applications. MicroStrategy has raised its Bitcoin holdings to $3.5 billion by December 2021, jumping in to buy the cryptocurrency during price troughs. His company and Saylor have benefited from the strategy. Forbes estimates Saylor’s net worth to be $2.3 billion.
5. Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss
Twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss invested their millions in cryptocurrency after winning a lawsuit against Facebook. Following the late-2017 increase in Bitcoin values, they became the first billionaires in the crypto sector. Their net wealth is estimated to be $3 billion each, according to Forbes. Although the brothers are best known for their bitcoin investments, they are also entrepreneurs who founded the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange. After a $400 million financing in November 2021, the exchange was valued at $7.1 billion. They also own Nifty Gateway, a non-fungible token trading platform (NFTs).
