Forbes is releasing the first-ever Crypto Rich List, a compilation of the 20 wealthiest people in crypto. “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.
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.
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, CEO of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange is featured on the cover of the February 28, 2018, issue of Forbes magazine. His stake in Binance and his coins give CZ a personal fortune worth as much as $2 billion.
Methodology:
Given the opacity and crypto’s hyper-volatility, Forbes is presenting the crypto net-worth estimates in ranges. These numbers are based on estimated holdings of cryptocurrencies (a few provided proof), post-tax profits from trading crypto-assets and stakes in crypto-related businesses. When compiling Forbes’ (necessarily inexact) list of the wealthiest people in crypto, the values used were as of Friday, January 19, 2018. Forbes’ Crypto Rich list is categorized into five groups: idealists, builders, opportunists, infrastructure players, and establishment investors. Many list members fit into more than one category.
Top Spots on Forbes’ 2018 Crypto Rich List:
| Name | Title | Crypto Net Worth |
| Chris Larsen | Cofounder, Ripple | $7.5 billion – $8.billion |
| Joseph Lubin | Cofounder, Ethereum and Founder, Consensys | $1 billion – $5 billion |
| Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao | CEO, Binance | $1.1 billion – $2 billion |
| Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss | Cofounders, Winklevoss Capital | $900 million – $1.1 billion each |
| Matthew Mellon | Individual investor | $900 million – $1 billion |
| Brian Armstrong | CEO, Coinbase | $900 million – $1 billion |
| Matthew Roszak | Cofounder, BloQ and Founder, Tally Capital | $900 million – $1 billion |
| Anthony Di Iorio | Cofounder, Ethereum and Founder, Jaxx and Decentral | $750 million – $1 billion |
| Brock Pierce | Chairman, Bitcoin Foundation and Advisor, Block.One | $700 million – $1 billion |
| Michael Novogratz | CEO, Galaxy Digital | $700 million – $1 billion |
To view the complete Crypto Rich List and more, visit: www.forbes.com/richest-in-cryptocurrency.