Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has once again become a crypto billionaire, just days after Ether surged past the $4,000 mark for the first time in eight months, according to blockchain intelligence firm Arkham.
“Vitalik Buterin is now an on-chain billionaire again.”
Arkham
His portfolio is currently valued at around $1.04 billion, consisting of 240,042 ETH along with smaller holdings in cryptocurrencies such as Aave (AAVE), WhiteRock (WHITE), Moo Deng (MOODENG), and Wrapped Ethereum (WETH).
Ether’s rally has fueled optimism among traders for potential new all-time highs. On Saturday, ETH climbed 6.38% to reach $4,332, following its $4,000 rebound on Friday, a level last seen in December 2024. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s share of the overall crypto market fell. As of now, Ether is trading at $4,244, according to Nansen.
Ethereum Price Surge Threatens $1.35B in Short Positions
Some crypto traders believe Ether could be on track to retest its November 2021 all-time high of $4,878. Data from CoinGlass shows that a rise to $4,500 would put about $1.35 billion in short positions at risk, fuelling speculation of a potential short squeeze.
Arkham also pointed to growing momentum behind Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), noting that “ETFs yesterday recorded total flows of $461 million for ETH compared to $404 million for BTC.”
According to Farside data, US-based spot Ether ETFs have attracted $326.6 million in net inflows over the past five trading days, outpacing Bitcoin ETFs, which saw $253.2 million in the same period.
Ethereum’s 2021 Rally Made Buterin a Billionaire at 27
Buterin first reached crypto billionaire status in May 2021 at the age of 27, when Ether surpassed the $3,000 mark for the first time.
At that point, he held about 333,500 ETH, worth roughly $1.029 billion, according to Etherscan’s on-chain data. This milestone followed a surge in ETH’s price, which had climbed more than fourfold from around $700 at the start of 2021.
Almost three years earlier, in October 2018, Buterin disclosed that he had never owned more than 0.9% of the total ETH supply and that his net worth had “never come close” to $1 billion.
