Forbes has released its first ever list of richest people in cryptocurrency in net-worth estimates in ranges. The list includes the top 20 earners in cryptocurrencies and features Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen, the Winklevoss twins and heads of exchanges like Coinbase and Binance.
The publication emphasizes that figures are estimates and liable to change on an almost daily (sometimes hourly) basis, given the volatile nature of the assets. But it states that each entrants’ wealth has been verified, with some providing detailed proof to aid in the investigation.
“Our first-ever Crypto Rich list provides a snapshot of a pivotal moment, part of the transparency needed to pull crypto away from its provenance as an unknown currency,” said Randall Lane, Chief Content Officer, Forbes Media, in a statement.
Figures such as the illusive Satoshi Nakamoto, purported to be one of the wealthiest of all the crypto billionaires, aren’t included as their identities weren’t verifiable.
Chris Larsen, a longtime tech executive and Founder of Ripple, tops Forbes’ Crypto Rich List. Larsen’s net worth came close to $20 billion in early January 2018, as a result of owning 5.2 billion XRP, the token of Ripple. XRP has since crashed approximately 65%, but the Ripple billionaire still seizes the top spot on the list.
The top ten also includes Joseph Lubin (Cofounder, Ethereum and Founder, Consensys), Changpeng "CZ' Zhao (CEO, Binance), Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (Cofounders, Winklevoss Capital), Matthew Mellon (Individual investor), Brian Armstrong (CEO, Coinbase), Matthew Roszak (Cofounder, BloQ and Founder, Tally Capital), Anthony Di Iorio (Cofounder, Ethereum and Founder, Jaxx and Decentral), Brock Pierce (Chairman, Bitcoin Foundation and Advisor, Block.One) and Michael Novogratz (CEO, Galaxy Digital).