September 2, 2025
~3 min read
Method note: This ranking synthesizes Cointelegraph’s 2025 list with cross‑references to reputable wealth trackers and company filings/coverage where available. Net‑worth figures move with token prices and equities; treat these as point‑in‑time estimates, not fixed truths.
-
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao — ~$62.9B
- Company/role: Binance (founder; former CEO)
- Why he tops the list: Despite stepping down as CEO in late 2023, CZ is still credited with ~90% ownership of Binance. With the exchange retaining global market leadership and BNB activity robust, his fortune leads the crypto field.
- Reference: Cointelegraph’s 2025 list
-
Giancarlo Devasini — ~$22.4B
- Company/role: Tether / Bitfinex (co‑founder; CFO)
- Why he’s here: Tether’s record profits and USDT’s outsized trading volumes have lifted Devasini’s paper wealth; estimates often assume a ~47% stake in Tether Group.
-
Brian Armstrong — ~$9.6B–$12.8B
- Company/role: Coinbase (CEO, co‑founder)
- What drives it: Coinbase’s market cap and Armstrong’s ~14–15% stake determine the range. A strong 2025 for COIN shares keeps him among the Top 3.
- Reference: Forbes
-
Michael Saylor — ~$10.1B
- Company/role: Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) — Executive Chairman
- Why it’s so high: Massive corporate BTC exposure plus a personal stash (~17,700 BTC) and sizable equity position. Share price and BTC both feed into his wealth estimate.
- Reference: Bloomberg
-
Chris Larsen — ~$7B–$8B
- Company/role: Ripple (co‑founder; executive chairman)
- Key inputs: Large XRP holdings (≈2.6B XRP reported) plus Ripple equity. The value flexes with XRP’s price and liquidity events.
- Reference: Forbes
- Jed McCaleb — ~$2.9B
- Company/role: Stellar (co‑founder & CTO; ex‑Ripple/Mt.Gox)
- Why it persists: Early XRP allocations and Stellar equity continue to anchor McCaleb’s wealth, despite his XRP sales schedule concluding in 2022.
- Reference: Forbes
-
Mike Novogratz — ~$2.7B–$5.5B
- Company/role: Galaxy Digital (founder & CEO)
- What moves it: Galaxy’s equity and crypto reserves. Estimates differ by source/date, but even the conservative reads keep him among crypto’s wealthiest executives.
- Reference: Forbes; Wikipedia
-
Barry Silbert — ~$3.0B–$3.2B
- Company/role: Digital Currency Group (founder & CEO)
- State of play: After Genesis’ insolvency and legal overhangs, Silbert’s fortune is still pegged by many outlets near $3B. His influence runs through Grayscale, Foundry, Luno—and new bets like decentralized AI.
- Reference: Forbes plus WSJ profile
-
Bijan Tehrani — ~$2.8B
- Company/role: Stake.com (co‑founder); Kick (co‑founder)
- Why he makes the list: The rise of crypto‑enabled entertainment (gaming, streaming) has minted a new class of founders. Tehrani’s wealth is tied to Stake’s rapid growth.
- Reference: Forbes
-
Vitalik Buterin — ~$1.0B+
- Company/role: Ethereum (co‑founder; not a CEO)
- Why included: Though not a corporate CEO, Buterin is the intellectual anchor of Ethereum. On‑chain analytics firms often attribute ~250k–280k ETH to his known wallets, making him an on‑chain billionaire when ETH trades near four figures.
- Reference: Nansen/Arkham analyses; recent Cointelegraph coverage on his wallet balance surpassing $1B.
What the list tells us about crypto wealth in 2025
- Exchanges and stablecoins dominate. Exchange founders (Binance, Coinbase) and stablecoin insiders (Tether) sit at the top—a reflection of where the cash flows and moats are in crypto’s current business stack.
- Protocol builders still matter. Buterin’s presence underscores that open‑source protocol creators can rival corporate moguls when their tokens reach scale.
- Fortunes are volatile. Token prices, equities, and regulatory decisions can move these numbers billions in a quarter. Always check time stamps and methodology when citing net worth.
Disclaimer: This is an informational snapshot, not investment advice. Wealth estimates are approximate and subject to rapid change with market conditions and new disclosures.