Vitalik Buterin's net worth exceeded $800 million

Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, has his total net worth surpassing $800 million for the first time, resulting from long-term accumulation of assets in the cryptocurrency space. According to research by the analytics firm Arkham Intelligence, the creator’s capital grew from $552.86 million at the beginning of 2026 to over $800 million in the current period — an increase of more than 40% in less than two months.

This significant growth reflects the rising value of the main asset in Buterin’s portfolio, demonstrating the correlation between the creator’s wealth and the market capitalization of the network he founded.

How Vitalik Buterin Accumulated Such Wealth

Buterin’s journey into the cryptocurrency world began long before Ethereum’s launch. In 2011, he founded Bitcoin Magazine, which allowed him to study the digital asset ecosystem from its early stages. Two years later, in 2013, Buterin published the Ethereum technical paper, detailing Bitcoin’s limitations and proposing a solution in the form of a flexible platform for decentralized applications.

According to Arkham Intelligence, most of Buterin’s wealth is concentrated in ETH tokens. Currently, his wallet contains approximately 246,730 Ethereum, making him one of the largest individual holders of this asset among well-known figures in the ecosystem. Notably, Buterin has repeatedly stated that his share has never exceeded 0.9% of the total ETH supply, indicating a high degree of network decentralization.

Main Assets in Buterin’s Portfolio

As of 2023, Vitalik’s share of the Ethereum network was 0.2% of the total token supply. This means that despite his status as a founder, his influence on the network is limited — the network is indeed decentralized. His position among the largest individual ETH holders is second only to early investor Reuben Lohrmann, who purchased 250,000 ETH during the presale.

However, the story of Lohrmann illustrates the risks of holding crypto assets: he lost access to his wallet containing this large amount of ETH, meaning his funds are effectively out of circulation. This inadvertently made Buterin’s wallet the most significant among actively managed wallets in the network.

From $552 Million to $800 Million: The Path of Ethereum Founder’s Wealth

Buterin’s wealth growth over recent years demonstrates an exponential pattern. Since 2015, his capital has increased more than 900 times — a figure that reflects both his personal contribution and the success of the Ethereum protocol itself. A landmark moment in Buterin’s biography was the 2021 bull market, when he first became a billionaire.

At that time, the price of one ETH reached a record high of $4,891, and Buterin’s total net worth hit a record $2.09 billion. Although the current ETH price ($1,970) is below that peak, having $800 million still signifies substantial wealth accumulation by one of the key architects of the modern blockchain industry.

Other Crypto Assets in Vitalik’s Wallet

In addition to his main position in Ethereum, Buterin’s portfolio contains a diversified set of other digital assets. His wallet holds 869,500 Kyber Network (KNC) tokens — a decentralized protocol for token exchange. There is also 196.42 Wrapped Ether (WETH) — an wrapped version of ETH for use in other blockchain systems — and a significant amount of THE tokens from another project within the ecosystem.

This diversification indicates Vitalik Buterin’s active participation not only in the development of the Ethereum network itself but also in supporting various innovative projects within the ecosystem, reflecting his role as one of the main architects of the future decentralized internet.