A new report estimates that 19 people worldwide have become billionaires from investing in cryptocurrencies, notably Bitcoin (BTC).
The report, published by BanklessTimes.com, states that Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym for the creator of Bitcoin, has amassed an estimated holding of 1.1 million physical Bitcoin worth $33 billion U.S. at current prices.
Canadian entrepreneur Changpeng Zhao, known as “CZ,” is the founder and CEO of crypto exchange Binance. He is estimated to be worth $65 billion U.S. through his various cryptocurrency holdings.
Prior to the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange and his subsequent arrest on fraud charges, Sam Bankman-Fried was estimated to have $24 billion U.S. in cryptocurrency holdings.
Twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who run the Gemini crypto exchange, are also on the crypto billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion U.S. each.
Globally, the U.S. has the most cryptocurrency holders at more than 45 million. India is in second place with 27 million crypto holders, and Pakistan with 26 million comes in third place.
Aside from individuals, several large corporations have also accumulated Bitcoin in recent years.
The company with the largest investment in Bitcoin is MicroStrategy (MSTR) with 129,699 physical Bitcoin worth just under $4 billion U.S.
In 2021, Tesla (TSLA) bought $1.5 billion U.S. worth of Bitcoin. However, the company is believed to have sold most of its holdings.
