Apart from being one of the most prominent names in the world of finance, Forbes magazine is also known for the various lists they come up with every year. Forbes lists are considered the apex authority on individual net worths. Over the years the magazine has released lists of richest people from around the world, based on nationality, gender, age, etc. This year, Forbes has come up with a novel concept: the richest people in cryptocurrency!
Forbes magazine’s latest list is a first of its kind. This is because there are many limitations when it comes to measuring wealth in cryptocurrencies. While it is quite easy to assess wealth when it comes to traditional terms, it isn’t as easy when it comes to the world of cryptocurrencies. This is because cryptocurrencies aren’t usually publicly declared and it the wealth needs to be assumed on the basis of stake or on the basis of public announcements, etc.
Moreover, cryptocurrency holders usually “live in a strange milieu that blends paranoid secrecy with ostentatious display,” as per Forbes staff writer Jeff Kauflin. Forbes editor Randall Lane says that this list helps “[provide] a snapshot of a pivotal moment, part of the transparency needed to pull crypto away from its provenance as the favorite currency of drug dealers and into the adolescence of a legitimate asset class.”
List of the Top 10 Wealthiest People in The World of Cryptocurrencies:
The minimum criteria for making it to this list is a minimum wealth of $350 Million. The people featured on this list are from various backgrounds but they have been sorted in five categories: idealists, builders, opportunists, infrastructure players and establishment investors. Here's a list of these people along with their net worth:
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Chris Larsen ($7.5-8 Billion)
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Joseph Lubin ($1-5 Billion)
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Changpeng Zhao ($1.1-2 Billion)
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Cameron Winklewoss and Tyler Winklewoss ($900 Million - $1.1 Billion)
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Matthew Mellon ($900 Million - $1 Billion)
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Brian Armstrong ($900 Million - $1 Billion)
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Matthew Roszak ($900 Million - $1 Billion)
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Anthony Di Iorio ($750 Million - $1 Billion)
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Brock Pierce ($700 Million - $1 Billion)
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Michael Novogratz ($700 Million - $1 Billion)
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Brendan Blumer ($600-700 Million)
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Dan Larimer ($600-700 Million)
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Valery Vavilov ($500-700 Million)
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Charles Hoskinson ($500-600 Million)
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Brad Garlinghouse ($500-600 Million)
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Barry Silbert ($400-500 Million)
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Vitalik Buterin ($400-500 Million)
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Tim Draper ($350-500 Million)
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Song Chi-Hyung ($350-500 Million)
There are 19 names on this list, but it features 20 people (including the Winklewoss twins). There is no exact net worth which is mentioned on this list. This is because these are all estimations. Forbes states that these numbers represent “estimated holdings of cryptocurrencies (a few provided proof), post-tax profits from trading crypto-assets and stakes in crypto-related businesses.”