Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has reclaimed billionaire status as ETH's price rally pushes his net worth to $1.03 billion, according to Arkham Intelligence on-chain data. His primary holding remains 240,042 ETH valued at approximately $1.01 billion, supplemented by smaller altcoin positions including AETHWETH ($12.2M), WHITE ($2.86M), MOODENG ($927K), and KNC ($386K).
Buterin first achieved billionaire status in May 2021 at age 27 when ETH peaked at $4,868, but lost the designation during the 2022 bear market that saw ETH plummet over 80%. The current resurgence follows ETH's 2025 peak of $4,332 and sustained trading near $4,172, positioning it close to all-time highs. The Canadian developer's wealth stems largely from Ethereum's 2014 pre-mine allocation, where tokens sold for $0.31 during ICO.
Notably, Buterin donated over $1 billion worth of SHIB tokens to Covid relief in 2021. Among crypto figures, he trails only Satoshi Nakamoto and Binance's Changpeng Zhao ($90B net worth) in recognized wealth.