Vitalik Buterin’s Growing Wealth
Vitalik Buterin’s net worth has surged to over $850 million, according to Arkham. Since January 2024, his crypto portfolio has grown by about $300 million, a 54% increase. This rise was identified by analyzing Buterin’s public blockchain addresses.
Breakdown of Buterin’s Crypto Assets
Most of Buterin’s assets are in Ethereum, holding 245,278 ETH, nearly 99% of his portfolio. Other holdings include wrapped ETH (WETH), tokens from Starknet and OP, stablecoins, and various meme coins. Developers and promoters often send tokens to public addresses of well-known figures to create buzz.
Estimating Buterin’s Total Wealth
Arkham did not detail Buterin’s earnings from Ethereum’s 2015 ICO but noted that most of his wealth comes from ETH distribution among founders. Buterin stated in 2018 that he never owned more than 0.9% of the total ETH supply, and his net worth never neared $1 billion. Galaxy’s research suggests he may have received 553,000 ETH, though this isn’t confirmed. Notably, Buterin reportedly sold 500,000 ETH to Galaxy Digital’s Mike Novogratz at $0.99 per coin in 2015.
Challenges in Verifying Buterin’s Assets
Verifying Buterin’s crypto holdings is challenging. The exact distribution of ETH from the ICO and the number of his blockchain addresses are unknown. Arkham believes Buterin’s known Ethereum addresses likely hold most of his assets, though there may be undisclosed wallets.
Buterin’s Spending and Donations
Buterin stated on Farcaster in late 2023 that he hadn’t sold ETH for personal gain since 2018. When ETH moves to exchanges from his addresses, it’s usually for donations or project funding. He frequently supports crypto development and social initiatives.
In February 2021, he donated $4.28 million in USDC to a poverty-fighting fund. In May 2021, he converted meme coins like Shiba Inu (SHIB), AKITA (AKITA), and Dogelon Mars (ELON) to fund charities, including a COVID-19 relief fund in India and Gitcoin, an open-source software platform. However, only $58 million of the initial $1 billion in Shiba Inu tokens donated were distributed by mid-2023.
Buterin’s View on Meme Coins
Buterin sees potential in meme coins, particularly those sharing their success with the community. He favors projects that allocate a portion of tokens or profits to charity, promoting positive, long-term impacts over insider enrichment.
In his blog, Buterin highlighted the opportunity to create more beneficial and lasting meme coins that support public goods, rather than merely enriching insiders and creators.
