Vitalik is one of the most respected and influential people in crypto. As one of the cofounders of Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency in the world today, many are curious about his net worth and how much Ethereum (ETH) he has. In this article, we’ll dive into his crypto portfolio and holdings over time, and uncover an estimate of his net worth.
Who is Vitalik Buterin?
Born in Russia in 1994 and later relocating to Canada, Vitalik Buterin emerged as a prodigy with a keen interest in computer science and mathematics. By 2014, he had co-founded Ethereum, introducing the groundbreaking concept of "smart contracts" through a decentralized protocol. His vision for Ethereum extended beyond merely creating a digital currency. He aimed to enable the development of decentralized applications (dApps) on a platform that is not only censorship-resistant but also secure, scalable, and sustainable. His goal was to democratize access to these services, fostering greater equality worldwide.
Vitalik Buterin's Net Worth
At the time of writing, Vitalik's net worth, primarily derived from his cryptocurrency holdings, exceeds $1.025 billion, with the bulk of his wealth, approximately $1 billion, attributed to his ETH holdings.
Determining his exact net worth is challenging, as his non-crypto assets (such as cash, real estate, and private equity investments) and any undisclosed crypto holdings are not publicly documented. However, it's reasonable to infer that a significant portion of his wealth is in cryptocurrencies.
Vitalik Buterin’s Crypto Holdings
It’s no surprise that the prominent co-founder of Ethereum has most of his crypto holdings in ETH and on the Ethereum network. $1.024B of his holdings across the blockchains that we have support for are on the Ethereum network.
Vitalik Buterin currently holds 278,524 ETH (~$1M) and 256 WETH ($919K), which makes him one of the largest holders of ETH. He currently holds 0.23% of all ETH in existence.
Besides ETH, his two largest holdings are $21.7M in USDC and $782K in KNCL. KNCL is the legacy token of Kyber Network to which he is an advisor.
Vitalik’s Crypto Activity
He is the largest donor to the CryptoRelief India Fund. The fund was set up during the peak of the Covid crisis to help provide healthcare and essentials to the country. Vitalik sent 50.69T SHIB ($931M), 600 ETH ($2.1M) and 100 MKR ($406K) to the fund.
Analyzing his portfolio over the past year, Vitalik had an initial position of 500 MKR tokens, worth $336K at that time, which he swapped to ETH and DAI when the position grew to over $570K in September 2023.
Occasionally, Vitalik transfers a small portion of his funds over to exchanges such as Coinbase, along side further philanthropic activity.
Conclusion
With over $1B in onchain assets, Vitalik is among the largest whales in crypto and one of the top individual ETH holders. However, accumulating wealth isn't his primary goal; he is known for his generous contributions to philanthropic efforts. While a complete overview of all his assets is beyond our reach, we possess a deep understanding of his onchain activity.
