Changpeng Zhao ranks 20th on the list with $65 billion. This makes him the wealthiest in the $2 trillion crypto industry.
A total of 19 blockchain and crypto billionaires have made it to the latest World’s Billionaires list published by Forbes on Tuesday, April 5, 2022.
The figure is 58% more than what was in the 2021 List when crypto billionaires were just 12. Back in 2021, Sam Bankman-Fried topped the list of crypto billionaires with $8.7 billion. Chris Larsen was second with $3.4 billion, followed closely by The Winklevoss twins with $3 billion each. Next, Michael Saylor had $2.3 billion while Jed McCaleb had $2 billion. The list goes on and on.
What’s interesting is that crypto billionaires increased while world billionaires plunged according to Forbes. From 2755 ranked in 2021, only 2668 made it to the 2022 list. The hardest drops occurred in China and Russia with 87 and 34 fewer billionaires respectively.
How the Crypto Billionaires Are Faring
From an estimated portfolio of $1.9 billion in 2021, Changpeng Zhao ranks 20th on the list with $65 billion. This makes him the wealthiest in the $2 trillion crypto industry. Asides from this, he has an unknown amount of crypto holdings. Wall Street Journal estimates that Binance itself could be worth $300 billion based on a comparison with Coinbase.
Sam Bankman-Fried is down to the second position on the list after amassing $24 billion in 2021. Most of this income is from his crypto exchange, FTX, where he has a 50% stake. Recall that the crypto exchange likewise raised a sum of $400 million in January to achieve a market valuation of $32 billion.
Coinbase CEO and founder Brian Armstrong is in third place with a net worth of $6.6 billion after Coinbase became public in April with a $100 billion valuation.
Gary Wang, Chris Larsen, the Winklevoss twins, Song Chi-Hyung, Barry Silbert, and Jed McCaleb make up the rest of the top ten crypto billionaires.
Elon Musk Tops List of Billionaires
Despite the changing fortunes on the billionaires’ list, Elon Musk sits firmly atop the current list. From a valuation of $151 Billion in 2021, Musk now has a net worth of $219 billion. Through SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk hopes to revolutionalize transportation on both Earth and Space.
Despite his criticism of the social media platform, Musk recently purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter to become its largest shareholder. Rumors also abound about his interest in launching his own social media platform.
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