The Faces Behind the Fortunes: 3 Youngest Billionaires in Crypto

In just over a decade, crypto has gone from an emerging concept to a trillion-dollar force. At its center is a new class of billionaires who are rewriting the rules of wealth.

What makes them fascinating isn’t just the size of their wallets but the scale of their impact. These trailblazers have built empires valued in the tens of billions, from crypto platforms to blockchain networks, redefining what it means to get rich.

Who Are the Youngest Billionaires in Crypto?

A new study shared with BeInCrypto by ApeX, a decentralized crypto trading platform, highlighted the youngest billionaires in the space—individuals who amassed their fortunes at quite an early age.

The study centered on individuals featured in reputable billionaire rankings (such as Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List 2024 and Forbes’ Crypto & Bitcoin Billionaires 2024) and founders of major crypto companies with valuations strong enough to support billionaire status.

Because of the volatility of crypto prices, not all of these individuals consistently maintain billionaire status year after year. Nonetheless, each of them has reached a credible billion-dollar valuation at some point between 2021 and 2025.

“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,” an ApeX spokesperson said.

Youngest Crypto Billionaires List. Source: ApeX

Together, these names reflect personal success and the speed at which crypto continues to create—and redefine—global wealth. Here’s a look at the top 3 youngest crypto billionaires.

1. Ed Craven

Ed Craven tops the list as the youngest crypto billionaire in 2025. The Australian entrepreneur achieved the milestone at just 29 years old with an estimated net worth of $2.8 billion.

This year, Forbes ranked him among the youngest billionaires. He is one of only two self-made billionaires under 30.

Craven co-founded Stake.com in 2017 with Bijan Tehrani, building it into one of the world’s largest crypto-backed online casinos. The platform generated $4.7 billion in revenue last year, fueled by the speed and anonymity of cryptocurrency-based gambling.

Stake’s meteoric growth was driven by bold marketing. During the pandemic, the company invested heavily in influencer deals, paying Twitch streamers millions to broadcast their gameplay.

This boosted revenues from $100 million to over $2 billion in just two years. After Twitch banned Stake promotions, Craven and Tehrani launched their own livestreaming service, Kick.

Beyond streaming, Stake’s branding has reached mainstream audiences through marketing via Formula 1 cars, the English Premier League, and the UFC octagons. These efforts cemented Stake’s global recognition and Craven’s reputation as one of the richest young entrepreneurs in the crypto space.

2. Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin, currently 31, secured second place with a current net worth of $1.4 billion, rooted in his foundational role in Ethereum (ETH). According to Forbes,

“He became the world’s youngest crypto billionaire at age 27 when Ether, Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency, first crossed $3,000 per coin in May 2021.”

At the time, Buterin held about 333,500 ETH, worth roughly $1.029 billion. Despite market fluctuations, Ethereum’s rally boosted the value of his holdings once more. In August, BeInCrypto reported that he had regained his status as an ‘on-chain billionaire.’

Notably, the Ethereum co-founder is also known for using his wealth for good, donating millions to humanitarian causes. His contributions have included over $1 billion worth of crypto to India’s Covid-19 relief fund and other charities, major donations to Ukrainian charities, and funding for projects focused on global health.

3. Justin Sun

Justin Sun ranks third among the youngest crypto billionaires, with an estimated $8.5 billion fortune at just 35 years of age. He created TRON (TRX) in 2017, which is now the 11th largest crypto by market capitalization.

“Justin Sun has built a sprawling crypto empire, anchored by the Tron blockchain, alongside exchanges Poloniex and HTX, and peer-to-peer file-sharer BitTorrent,” Forbes noted.

While the exact moment he reached billionaire status is unclear, Sun has remained a central figure in the crypto industry. He has also taken steps to protect details of his personal holdings, including legal action to prevent the publication of in-depth breakdowns, citing security concerns.

“Justin Sun has filed a lawsuit against Bloomberg, claiming they plan to ‘recklessly and improperly disclos[e] his highly confidential, sensitive, private, and proprietary financial information,’ obtained while to verify his assets for the Bloomberg ‘Billionaires Index,’” Molly White posted.

Sun is also known for his extravagant spending. In November 2024, he paid $6.2 million for a conceptual art piece—a banana duct-taped to a wall—and has spent millions more on other artworks. His ventures extend beyond Earth. After bidding $28 million, Sun also completed Blue Origin’s NS-34 mission.

Beyond these top figures, the ApeX study spotlighted additional young crypto titans, including Alchemy co-founders Joe Lau and Nikil Viswanathan, Coinbase’s Fred Ehrsam and Brian Armstrong, Tether’s Paolo Ardoino, and the Winklevoss twins. The wealthiest overall is Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), with an estimated fortune of $33 billion.

Collectively, this group exemplifies crypto’s maturation, where early visionaries have navigated booms, busts, and scandals to amass fortunes that rival traditional finance dynasties.

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