No longer a distant concept or a niche financial product for tech enthusiasts, Bitcoin (BTC) has solidified its position as a globally valuable asset.
With a maximum total supply of 21 million bitcoins, bitcoin's market capitalization has reached nearly $2.3 trillion, a figure powerful enough to challenge even the giants of the traditional financial industry.
This rise has been driven by an unprecedented wave of adoption. Spot bitcoin ETFs from giants like BlackRock and Grayscale have drawn in hundreds of billions of dollars from mainstream investors.
However, the map of bitcoin ownership has become complex, with power distributed among giant exchanges like Binance, listed companies, ETFs, and national treasuries.
The most intriguing question remains: outside of legal entities and organizations, who are the individuals who actually own the most bitcoin? Who are the "hidden kings," the lone "whales" capable of creating tsunamis with just a single transaction?
Below is a list of 5 people who are considered suitable for the titles mentioned above.
Satoshi Nakamoto: "The Dark King" and his $137.5 billion fortune.
Estimated holdings: 1.1 million BTC
Estimated value: $137.5 billion
At the top of every list, far surpassing all competitors, is a "ghost": Satoshi Nakamoto. The true identity of the man who created Bitcoin in 2008 with his white paper "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Currency System" remains the greatest mystery of the 21st century.
Through on-chain data analysis, researchers believe that Satoshi personally mined approximately 1.1 million BTC in the early days of the network. This asset, now worth over $137 billion, sits dormant, scattered across approximately 22,000 different wallet addresses, and has not been moved in over a decade.
More than just an asset, this is an economic "time bomb." If any portion of these 1.1 million BTC were moved, it would send a devastating signal to the entire market, potentially causing the price of bitcoin to collapse and triggering a full-blown crisis of confidence. Satoshi's silence is both a blessing and a curse hanging over the crypto world.
Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, is the largest holder of Bitcoin, with approximately 1.1 million BTC (Photo: Alamy).
The Winklevoss twins: Prophets who received their revenge.
Estimated holdings: 70,000 BTC
Estimated value: $8.75 billion
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twins famous for their legal battle against Mark Zuckerberg over the Facebook idea, have turned their $65 million settlement into a cryptocurrency empire. Instead of dwelling on the past, they see a future in bitcoin.
In 2013, when bitcoin was still a foreign concept and worth only a few tens of dollars, they invested heavily and claimed ownership of 1% of the total bitcoin supply at the time. Today, it is estimated that they still hold around 70,000 BTC, equivalent to nearly $9 billion.
But they weren't just passive investors. They founded Gemini, one of the most licensed and tightly regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in the US, playing a crucial role in bridging the gap between bitcoin and mainstream finance. Their story is a classic example of turning a failure into an even greater triumph.
Tim Draper: Venture capitalist takes over the "Silk Road"
Estimated holdings: 29,656 BTC
Estimated value: $3.7 billion
Tim Draper is a legend in the venture capital world, a shrewd investor who made early investments in Tesla, Skype, and Hotmail. So when he bet on bitcoin, the whole world took notice.
In 2014, in what was considered an extremely bold move, Draper won a US government auction, acquiring all 29,656 BTC seized from Silk Road – the notorious online "black market". He spent $18.7 million on the transaction, at a price of just $632 per BTC.
That investment has now blossomed into a $3.7 billion asset, yielding a return of nearly 20,000%. Draper doesn't just view bitcoin as an investment; he's a fervent believer, calling it "the currency of the future" and a hedge against the devaluation of traditional currencies.
Michael Saylor: The Bitcoin "Evangelist"
Estimated holdings (individual): 17,732 BTC
Estimated value (individual): $2.2 billion
If there's one person who deserves the title of "Bitcoin evangelist," it's Michael Saylor. After his company, MicroStrategy, faltered in the dot-com bubble, Saylor was reborn with an unwavering belief that bitcoin is the solution.
In 2020, he shocked Wall Street when he decided to convert a large portion of his company's treasury to bitcoin. But that wasn't all; Saylor also personally invested in 17,732 BTC at an average price of around $16,000. This personal investment is now worth over $2.2 billion.
Saylor relentlessly promotes Bitcoin across all media platforms, calling it "digital gold" and "cyberbank." Under his leadership, MicroStrategy has accumulated nearly 600,000 BTC, becoming the publicly traded company holding the most Bitcoin on the planet. He's not just investing in Bitcoin; he lives and breathes it.
Changpeng Zhao (CZ): The architect of the trading empire.
Estimated holdings: Approximately 1,300 BTC (and a significant amount of Binance Coin - BNB)
Estimated value (BTC only): $162.5 million
Despite holding the fewest bitcoins on this list, the influence of Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder and former CEO of Binance, is undeniable. Much of his immense wealth comes from his stake in Binance and the BNB token, but its roots still stem from a bold decision regarding bitcoin.
In 2014, CZ sold his apartment in Shanghai to invest all his money in Bitcoin. This all-in decision became the foundation for building Binance – the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Although his personal holdings of BTC are considered relatively modest compared to other "whales" (around 1,300 BTC), it represents an early belief that changed an entire industry.
From the enigmatic figure of Satoshi to the openly influential billionaires who are disrupting the market, these individuals demonstrate that daring to bet early on bitcoin not only brings immense wealth but also empowers them to shape the future of global finance. They are symbols of a rapidly emerging cryptocurrency era.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/5-vi-vua-ngam-cua-vuong-quoc-bitcoin-20250806170651592.htm
Comment (0)