5 Of The World’s Richest Crypto Billionaires

Cryptocurrencies are popular for many reasons, including the potential to turn early adopters and founders into billionaires.

From crypto exchange tycoons to individuals who have stayed during the crypto market’s ups and downs to amass incredible fortunes, here’s a list of five of the world’s richest crypto billionaires, including those that were the first.

5 of the world’s richest crypto billionaires

1. Changpeng Zhao

Changpeng Zhao is a co-founder and former CEO of Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Zhao started his career as a software developer and built trading programs, founding his first tech startup in 2005. His turn to crypto started in 2013 when he played poker with Bobby Lee, then CEO of BTCC, one of the earliest crypto exchanges. Lee suggested that Zhao invest 10 percent of his cash in Bitcoin.

After some research though, Zhao sold his apartment and bet everything on Bitcoin, only to see the coin slump. But Bitcoin rallied, Zhao held and saw a chance to build his own crypto exchange. In 2017, Zhao founded Binance, which became profitable within about 90 days.

Zhao led Binance until 2023 when he stepped down after pleading guilty to criminal charges for violating U.S. anti-money laundering laws. Binance paid a $4.3 billion fine in the case.

Binance surpassed 250 million registered users at the end of 2024, according to the company’s 2024 year-end report. Zhao is believed to own 90 percent of the exchange, according to Forbes.

Total net worth: $45 billion

2. Brian Armstrong

Brian Armstrong also founded a popular crypto exchange — Coinbase (COIN) — in 2012 with Fred Ehrsam. The company went public in 2021 on the NASDAQ and today has a market cap of about $89 billion. Armstrong is the CEO.

Like Zhao, Armstrong started as a software engineer, eventually joining Airbnb where he noticed how long it took to send payments to South America and how the fees were high and unclear. Armstrong saw an opportunity for crypto to change that.

While still at Airbnb, he began coding on nights and weekends to develop a place to buy and store crypto, which would eventually become Coinbase.

As of late April 2025, Armstrong owns about 13 percent of Coinbase’s shares, based on proxy-reported holdings and total shares outstanding disclosed in the company’s May 10-Q.

Total net worth: $15 billion

3. The Winklevoss twins

The Winklevoss twins, who both happen to be former Olympic rowers, are probably most famous for their legal battle with Mark Zuckerberg over the founding of Facebook, claiming the idea for the social network was originally theirs. The twins, Cameron and Tyler, reportedly put $11 million of their Facebook settlement into Bitcoin in 2012, becoming the first Bitcoin billionaires in 2017.

The Winklevosses also co-founded Gemini in 2014, another crypto exchange. Tyler serves as the CEO and Cameron is president. The two are believed to own a majority of the company, though that information isn’t publicly disclosed.

Combined net worth: $13.7 billion

4. Giancarlo Devasini

Giancarlo Devasini, a native of Italy, started as a plastic surgeon but quickly switched to the tech industry and started importing computer parts. Years later, he got involved with Tether, the world’s leading stablecoin.

Devasini found his way into crypto through a fascination with Bitcoin and meeting Raphael Nicolle who was building Bitfinex, a crypto platform known for its advanced trading capabilities. Devasini became a partner in Bitfinex and served as CFO.

Devasini didn’t create Tether as a currency but founded Tether as a company in 2014 while at Bitfinex and was the CFO for years before transitioning to chairman in March 2025.

Devasini is believed to own a 47 percent stake in Tether, according to Forbes.

Total net worth: $11.5 billion

5. Michael Saylor

Michael Saylor is the co-founder of Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy (MSTR), a publicly traded software company with a market cap of $113 billion that’s best known for owning vast amounts of Bitcoin as part of its investment strategy. Saylor was CEO from 1989 to 2022, then became the executive chairman.

Strategy experienced a meteoric rise in 2024, and was up nearly 700 percent at one point. Some crypto investors view the company as a way to amplify Bitcoin bets, but this may not be the wisest approach to take when it comes to crypto investing.

Strategy continues to be known for how much Bitcoin it has up its sleeve. As of June 30, 2025, Strategy holds 597,325 bitcoins, acquired at an average cost of $70,982 each, according to the company.

Total net worth: $8.3 billion

Bottom line

Though the majority of these billionaires are wealthy from founding a crypto exchange, the golden thread is that they were involved in the crypto game early on. They gambled big and it paid off, but crypto is still a notoriously risky investment. You should only invest what you’re willing to lose. For long-term investors, a diversified portfolio with limited crypto exposure is key.