Cryptocurrencies have been on the journey since Bitcoin was introduced in 2009, and it even made more headlines when rich entrepreneurs like Dan Morehead and the Winklevoss twins turned into billionaires. But cryptocurrencies created a more diverse field of billionaires and smart entrepreneurs as Chinese cryptocurrency owners made global headlines. The report is supported by Hurun Research Institute’s China Rich List.
According to the Hurun, “the 14 new names on the list from the blockchain space make the industry the fastest growing in terms of representatives from one specific industry”. In all, the list is composed of 1,893 individuals but the chosen 14 made their fortune from cryptocurrency and blockchain-related businesses.
| RANK | NAME | COMPANY POSITION | WEALTH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | Micree Zhan Ketuan | Bitmain Co-founder | $4.3b |
| 204 | Wu Jihan | Bitmain Co-founder | $2.4b |
| 230 | Changpeng Zhao | Binance Founder | $2.2b |
| 354 | Xu Mingxing | OKCoin Founder | $1.4b |
| 556 | Li Lin | Huobi Vice President | $1b |
| Li Xioalai | Bitfund Founder | $1b | |
| 728 | Hu Dong | Ebang Chairman/CEO | $800m |
| 789 | Zhaofeng Zhao | Bitmain Cofounder | $720m |
| 1149 | Zhang Nangeng | Canaan Founder | $510m |
| 1233 | Yishuo Hu | Bitmain Executive | $490m |
| Yuesheng Ge | Bitmain Vice President | $490m |
Bitmain On Top
Crypto mining giant Bitmain, together with its core members, lead the rankings. This isn’t surprising since Bitmain is aiming for world’s biggest crypto Initial Public Offering (IPO) after establishing a name for themselves as the biggest manufacturer of crypto mining equipment in the world. The most talked about achievements of Bitmain in 2018 focuses on their potential launch of IPO at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and a number of companies in the public sphere such as Softbank, Temasek, Tencent, and DST Global. Investment analysts hinted that the company could raise anywhere between $3 to $18 billion.
Top 1 on the list of is Micree Zhan Ketuan, co-founder of Bitmain, with an estimated wealth of 29.5 billion yuan ($4.3 billion). He is the only crypto-billionaire who made it to the top 100. Succeeding him is his Bitmain cofounder, Wu Jihan, who has a net worth of 16.5 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) at 204. The third Bitmain cofounder Zhaofeng Zhao, vice president Yuesheng Ge, and shareholder Yishuo Hu also made the cut.
