Crypto billionaires double in five years — meet the youngest

Dil Bar Irshad | September 5, 2025 | 10:37 PM IST | Breaking News | Follow on Google News

Crypto billionaires double in five years — meet the youngest

• Ed Craven is the youngest crypto billionaire in 2025, building a $2.8B fortune by the age of just 29.
• The cofounders of Coinbase and Alchemy are among the youngest and most successful in crypto, with an average net worth of $4.5B.
• Changpeng Zhao is the wealthiest young billionaire in crypto, achieving a net worth of $33B.

In just one week, Ethereum’s market value increased by almost 20%, reaching $513B, making its founder, Vitalik Buterin, a billionaire once again. A new study by ApeX, a decentralized crypto trading platform, set out to identify the youngest crypto billionaires in 2025.

The study focused on individuals featured in reputable sources such as the Forbes World’s Billionaires 2024 list and Forbes crypto and bitcoin billionaire rankings. To pinpoint the youngest, the analysis looked at the age they first became millionaires and their current age. Their first major crypto projects and net worth are also provided for context.

Here is the summary of the findings:

You can find the full research findings by following this link.

Ed Craven is the youngest crypto billionaire, hitting billionaire status at just 29 years old, getting to the top of the list this year. He co-founded the crypto gambling platform Stake.com in 2017, which has since grown into one of the biggest online casinos in the world. His net worth is now estimated at $2.8B, making him the richest billionaire under 30 in the crypto space.

Vitalik Buterin follows closely in second, becoming a billionaire at 27. He first entered the scene as a co-founder of Bitcoin Magazine in 2012, before creating Ethereum in 2014, the blockchain that powers thousands of coins and smart contracts today. Despite market ups and downs, Vitalik still holds an estimated $1.4B.

Justin Sun comes in as the third youngest crypto billionaire, valued at $8.5B. Founder of TRON in 2017, Sun never revealed the exact age he reached billionaire status, but at 35 today, he remains one of the most outspoken figures in crypto.

Joe Lau stands fourth. He became a billionaire at 34 through Alchemy, a blockchain developer platform he co-founded in 2020. Now 36, his $1.5B fortune reflects Alchemy’s central role in supporting the rapid rise of Web3, the fast-growing ecosystem of decentralized applications.

Fred Ehrsam rounds out the top five youngest crypto billionaires. He reached billionaire status at 33, making him one of the early success stories of crypto’s first boom. As co-founder of Coinbase in 2012, he helped build one of the largest exchanges in the world. At 37, his net worth is estimated at $3.6B, highlighting how foundational Coinbase has been to mainstream crypto adoption.

Nikil Viswanathan takes sixth place. He also made the list at age 34, thanks to co-founding Alchemy alongside Joe Lau. Now 37, he has an estimated net worth sits at $1.5B, placing him shoulder-to-shoulder with his co-founder.

Paolo Ardoino comes in seventh, becoming a billionaire at 40 through his role as CTO and now CEO of Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin. One year later, his net worth is around $3.9B, built on the explosive growth of stablecoins in global trading and payments.

Brian Armstrong holds eighth place in the race for the youngest crypto billionaires. He hit billionaire status at 38 through Coinbase, which he co-founded in 2013. Now 42, he has a net worth of $11.2B, making him one of the richest exchange founders in crypto.

Tyler Winklevoss comes in ninth and became a billionaire at 36. Riding early Bitcoin investments before co-founding the Gemini exchange in 2013. Now he is 43, and his net worth sits at $2.7B, making him one of the most prominent early adopters who helped bring crypto into the mainstream.

Cameron Winklevoss also hit billionaire status at 36, alongside his twin brother, Tyler Winklevoss, through the same early Bitcoin holdings and Gemini’s success. At 43 today, he has a fortune that mirrors Tyler’s at $2.7B, and together they remain one of the most recognizable duos in crypto.

Changpeng Zhao finishes the list of the youngest crypto billionaires as the wealthiest figure by far, with a fortune estimated at $33B. He founded Binance in 2017 and became a billionaire at 41. Now 48, he has a net worth that surpasses every other name on the list, showing just how dominant Binance has been in the global crypto market.

A spokesperson from ApeX commented, “What stands out about these young crypto billionaires is not just their wealth, but how quickly they’ve reshaped the rules of finance. Crypto has enabled entrepreneurs in their twenties and thirties to build global systems that bypass traditional institutions. Their success highlights how digital-first innovation is redefining both money and opportunity.”

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.