Gemini co-founders Cameron together with Tyler Winklevoss grabbed headlines last calendar month when the value of their publicized bitcoin holdings surpassed $1 billion, making them the commencement “verified” bitcoin billionaires. However, blockchain information indicates that at that topographic point could live equally many equally 200 bitcoin billionaires who conduct hold kept their holdings a cloak-and-dagger to keep their privacy.
That’s according to an MSN Money report, which cites an unnamed source at blockchain information aggregation website BitInfoCharts.
“A rep for BitInfoCharts, who wished to stay anonymous because of safety concerns, told MONEY inward an electronic mail that, given Bitcoin’s electrical flow overall marketplace capitalization together with that nigh people concur Bitcoin at multiple addresses, at that topographic point may genuinely live equally many equally 200 Bitcoin billionaires, together with perhaps no fewer than 35,” the study said.
Two hundred would look to live an extremely high estimate, given that bitcoin’s marketplace cap is currently $235 billion, but 35 seems quite plausible.
As demonstrated yesteryear the site’s “Rich List,” at that topographic point are half-dozen private addresses that concur to a greater extent than than $1 billion worth of bitcoins. One address has been identified equally belonging to cryptocurrency telephone commutation Bitfinex, spell the other address owners are unknown but may belong to other exchanges, custodial services, or hedge funds.
However, nigh bitcoin users spread their holdings across multiple addresses, together with many newer bitcoin wallets automatically generate novel addresses every fourth dimension the user selects “receive” inward the client. Wallet explorers tin go link together addresses belonging to the same wallet, but careful users tin go proceed their funds inward several wallets that create non interact with ane another, concealing the fact that they portion an owner.
It has been well-publicized that bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto nigh probable owned addresses containing nearly 1 ane yard one thousand BTC, worth to a greater extent than than $13 billion at electrical flow telephone commutation rates. Altogether, 149 addresses incorporate at to the lowest degree $100 ane yard one thousand inward bitcoin. Assuming Satoshi is a unmarried mortal together with he or she retains access to these wallets — which many people dubiety — they would rank with the top 100 richest people inward the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Believe it or not, though, Satoshi’s wealth has been eclipsed yesteryear that of around other cryptocurrency projection founder. Chris Larsen, a co-founder of fintech startup Ripple, is currently worth to a greater extent than than $37.3 billion thank yous to his 5.19 billion XRP inward personal holdings together with 17 percentage stake inward the company, according to a Forbes report. This would brand him the 21st-richest mortal inward the world, were he included inward the Bloomberg index.
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