Vitalik Buterin’s Wealth: A Comprehensive Analysis
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Exploring the Wealth of Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin
In a detailed report shared via X on September 6, Arkham Intelligence estimates the wealth of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin to be “at least $1.05 billion.” This lower-bound estimate is derived from a combination of identified on-chain assets and recognized private holdings. The report sets this evaluation as of August 2025 and notes that it is subject to fluctuation due to the volatile nature of Ether’s price.
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The Backbone of Buterin’s Wealth: Ethereum
Vitalik Buterin’s financial portfolio is predominantly comprised of Ether (ETH). Arkham attributes approximately 240,042 ETH to Buterin’s known wallets, with over 99% of his crypto portfolio’s value vested in ETH. At the time of the report, the price of ETH was $4,321, translating to roughly $1.04 billion in ETH holdings alone. This substantial investment explains the close correlation between his net worth and the ETH market cycle.
A Historical Perspective on Buterin’s Financial Journey
Arkham’s analysis reconstructs a detailed history of Buterin’s balance curve. On December 31, 2015, his known crypto assets were valued at $596,760. By the end of 2016, this had increased to $4.23 million, followed by a significant rise to $278.37 million by the end of 2017—a reflection of the 2017 bull run. He became an on-chain billionaire at the age of 27 during 2021, as ETH surpassed the $3,000 mark, peaking briefly at $2.09 billion on November 18, 2021, when ETH was near its cycle high. However, the subsequent bear market reduced his net worth by about 75%, dropping from $1.2 billion at the end of 2021 to $300.58 million by the end of 2022, before rebounding to $1.05 billion during the 2024–2025 recovery.
Arkham notes a significant moment in May 2021 when 50% of the supply of the memecoin SHIB was transferred to Buterin, momentarily worth $20 billion. Vitalik generously donated these tokens to charity, choosing not to profit from the memecoin’s surge.
Buterin’s Position Among Top ETH Holders
Arkham compares Buterin’s ETH holdings with other major players in the market. The ETH2 (Beacon) deposit contract holds the most with 66,887,347.41 ETH, followed by exchange and ETF custody accounts such as Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, Robinhood, Grayscale, and BlackRock. Among individuals, Buterin emerges as the largest identifiable holder with control over his assets, whereas Estonian banker Rain Lõhmus is believed to have around 250,000 ETH that are inaccessible due to lost keys.
Insights into Buterin’s ETH Holdings
Buterin’s own disclosures shed light on his holdings. In October 2018, he clarified, “I never had 900k ETH. When I had 0.9% of all ETH, the supply was ~75 million.” This statement aligns with Arkham’s findings, indicating that Buterin’s share never significantly exceeded ~0.9% and has diminished over time as he sold or donated his holdings and as the supply increased.
Diversified Holdings Beyond ETH
Although Buterin’s non-ETH positions are relatively modest in dollar terms, they are detailed with exact figures. As of the report’s publication, he holds 10,000,000,000 WHITE (valued at approximately $3.72 million), 30,000,000,000 MOODENG (worth around $690,000), and 869,509 KNC (valued at $327,000) among his larger non-ETH tokens. The long tail includes $12,400 worth of TORN linked to Tornado Cash usage and 218,413,000 SHIB (approximately $2,720) in his known addresses.
Buterin’s Transparency on Crypto Flows
Vitalik Buterin has been open about the complexities surrounding his cryptocurrency transactions. In August 2022, he revealed, “I’ll out myself as someone who has used [Tornado Cash] to donate to this exact cause,” referring to his charitable contributions to Ukraine. He has also clarified that transfers from his wallets to exchanges since 2018 were intended for donations rather than personal financial gain.
Beyond Cryptocurrency: Buterin’s Equity in StarkWare
Off-chain, Arkham highlights Buterin’s early equity in StarkWare, a zero-knowledge firm that achieved an $8 billion valuation in its 2022 Series D funding round. While these stakes remain illiquid, they could significantly contribute to Buterin’s overall wealth. However, due to the lack of precise details on these holdings, Arkham considers the $1.05 billion estimate as a conservative baseline rather than an upper limit.
At the time of writing, Ethereum was trading at $4,298.
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