Arkham Intelligence, a popular blockchain data firm, reveals the top 5 crypto whales. They are publicly known wallet addresses collectively own an astounding $3.5 billion in digital assets.
In spite of these massive holdings, a very significant portion of it, approximately 35% or $1.21 billion, is currently inaccessible because of the lost private keys and passwords.
Justin Sun Leads the Pack
Justin Sun, the founder of the Tron network, tops the list, with a reported $1.06 billion in his crypto wallet. Sun’s holdings are primarily composed of $275 million in Decentralized USD (USDD) and $237 million in Tron’s native token, TRX. In fact, his leading in the crypto space is evident. However, it’s worth noting that a considerable amount of his wealth is tied up in his own stablecoin and Tron tokens.
Rain Lõhmus: The Locked Ether
In the second position, there is Rain Lõhmus, the founder of Estonia-based LHV Bank, holds $769 million worth of Ether. But, unfortunately, these funds are termed as inaccessible because Lõhmus has lost access to his private key. This has made his massive Ethereum holdings currently unreachable.
Vitalik Buterin’s Ethereum Empire
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin secures the third spot with $757 million mainly, of course, in Ethereum. The massive holdings of Buterin consist of 245,425 ETH tokens. While he maintains a substantial Ethereum portfolio, the crypto world is very much aware of his active involvement in the community and development of Ethereum.
Stefan Thomas’s Bitcoin Dilemma Continues
Former Ripple CTO Stefan Thomas occupies the fourth position with $442 million in Bitcoin. Thomas’s Bitcoin holdings have been flagged as inaccessible after he lost the password to an encrypted hard drive containing details of his cryptocurrency. Despite offers from crypto recovery firms like Unciphered, Thomas remains unable to access over 7,000 Bitcoin he acquired in 2011.
James Fickel: A Venture Capitalist’s Digital Wealth
Venture capitalist James Fickel is among the top five, holding $436 million in various digital currencies. Fickel’s diverse crypto portfolio showcases the breadth of assets that high-profile investors are accumulating in the digital realm.
Other significant crypto wallets in Arkham’s top ten include early adopter Patricio Worthalter, who holds $219 million primarily in Ethereum. Winslow Strong, a General Partner at Cluster Capital, is also listed with $27.5 million worth of digital assets.
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