Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, continues to be a significant figure in the cryptocurrency landscape, as evidenced by recent on-chain data. Public wallet records indicate that he holds over 224,000 ETH across known addresses, translating to a valuation of approximately $439 million based on current market prices around $1,900.
During the presale of Ethereum in 2014, about 16.53% of the initial 72 million ETH supply was designated for the founding team, which laid the groundwork for Buterin”s substantial wealth in the crypto space. Although exact distributions from the launch were not detailed, blockchain records show that as of 2015, he controlled over 662,000 ETH, representing around 0.91% of the total supply at that time.
According to the latest report from Arkham, Buterin”s known ETH holdings currently amount to 224,104 tokens. At recent trading levels of approximately $1,950, this places the value of his ETH holdings close to $439.07 million. However, his estimated net worth in the crypto sector was around $467 million in December 2025, reflecting a decline attributed to recent market dips and blockchain data indicating that he sold 2,972 ETH, valued at about $6.69 million, over a span of three days. Notably, these transactions were linked to wallets associated with him, although no formal statement was made regarding these transfers.
Historical records illustrate a consistent decline in Buterin”s ownership share. On December 31, 2015, he held 662,810 ETH, which accounted for approximately 0.91% of the total supply. By December 31, 2025, this figure had reduced to around 0.20%. Currently, his holdings represent about 0.027% of the total ETH supply. In a statement from 2018, Buterin claimed he had never held more than 0.9% of the total ETH supply, a claim corroborated by on-chain records even as his holdings have diminished over the years.
The trajectory of Buterin”s wealth has closely mirrored the market cycles of ETH. In November 2021, when ETH peaked at $4,891, his net worth reached a staggering $2.09 billion. Earlier in 2021, he crossed the billionaire threshold as ETH surpassed $3,000. However, the crypto market downturn in 2022 saw a sharp decline in ETH”s value, bringing Buterin”s holdings down to nearly $300 million by December 31, 2022. In 2025, his wealth rebounded slightly, peaking around $1.2 billion when ETH approached $5,000.
While ETH constitutes more than 99% of Buterin”s publicly disclosed crypto portfolio, he also holds minor amounts of other tokens, including WHITE, MOODENG, and KNC, as indicated by portfolio tracking data. In 2021, he received half of the SHIB supply from its developers, which briefly inflated his net worth to nearly $20 billion, although he later burned approximately 410 trillion SHIB and donated the remainder to CryptoRelief India. Additionally, Buterin has engaged in early funding rounds for StarkWare, a developer specializing in zero-knowledge proofs, valued at $8 billion in 2022, though details about his equity stake remain undisclosed.
In regards to his status among ETH holders, the Arkham report reveals that while Buterin is not the largest holder overall, he is recognized as the largest individual holder with active access to his ETH. Institutional entities dominate the largest ETH holdings, with the ETH2 Deposit Contract holding about 80,857,848 ETH, primarily due to staking requirements. Major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase also rank among the top holders. Despite this, Buterin maintains a prominent position among early Ethereum contributors.
Parallel to the holdings of founders and early contributors, corporate treasuries for Ethereum have expanded significantly in 2026. BitMine Immersion currently claims the title of the largest corporate ETH holder, with approximately 4,371,497 ETH on its balance sheet, marking a net addition of 168,462 ETH over the past month. Following closely, SharpLink holds about 864,840 ETH, while The Ether Machine manages roughly 496,712 ETH, securing the third position among corporate ETH treasuries.
