Cashing in on crypto: Forbes reveals 20 richest people in cryptocurrency

Forbes has compiled its first ever Crypto Rich List to rank the 20 wealthiest people in crypto, saying billion-dollar fortunes have been created almost overnight.

There are now nearly 1,500 crypto-assets in existence, valued at an aggregate of $550bn, up 31 times since the beginning of 2017. Forbes said that while the prices of individual cryptocoins continue to prove volatile, blockchain-based currency is "here to stay".

“Our first-ever Crypto Rich list provides a snapshot of a pivotal moment, part of the transparency needed to pull crypto away from its provenance as an unknown currency,” said Randall Lane, chief content officer, Forbes Media.

Top of the list is Ripple founder Chris Larsen, with Forbes saying his net worth came close to $20bn in early January, as a result of owning 5.2bn XRP - the token of Ripple. It has since crashed around 65 per cent, but Larsen still holds the top spot on the list.

To make the cut and feature on Forbes' list, a minimum of $350m was needed.

Top rankings on Forbes' 2018 Crypto Rich List

Name	Title	Crypto net worth
1. Chris Larsen	Co-founder, Ripple	$7.5bn - $8bn
2. Joseph Lubin	Co-founder, Ethereum and founder at Consensys	$1bn - $5bn
3. Changpeng "CZ" Zhao	CEO, Binance	$1.1bn - $2bn
4. Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss	Co-founders, Winklevoss Capital	$900m-$1.1bn each
5. Matthew Mellon	Individual investor	$900m - $1bn
6. Brian Armstrong	CEO, Coinbase	$900m - $1bn
7. Matthew Roszak	Co-founder, BIoQ and founder at Tally Capital	$900m - $1bn
8. Anthony Di Iorio	Co-founder at Ethereum and founder at Jaxx and Decentral	$750m - $1bn
9. Brock Pierce	Chairman, Bitcoin Foundation and advisor at Block.One	$700m - $1bn
10. Michael Novogratz	CEO, Galaxy Digital	$700m - $1bn

Forbes said that given the opacity and cryto's hyper volatility, it presented the net worth estimates in rages. The numbers are based on estimated holdings of cryptocurrencies, with some providing proof, post-tax profits from trading crypto-assets and stakes in crypto-related businesses.

The average age of the cryptocurrency's richest people versus the average age of the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans was 42 compared to 67.

Its overall list is divided into five groups: idealists, builders, opportunists, infrastructure players and establishment investors, though many on the list fit into more than one of the categories.

Forbes said it was a "near certainty" that it had missed some people, but added that that was also the case when it launched the first Forbes 400 list back in 1982, but it felt "fortunes of this magnitude should never be allowed to lurk in the shadows".

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