How Much ETH Does Vitalik Buterin Really Own?

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin remains one of the wealthiest figures in crypto based on on-chain data. Public wallet records show he controls more than 224,000 ETH across known addresses. With the Ethereum price trading around $1,900, those holdings are valued near $439 million.

During Ethereum’s 2014 presale, approximately 16.53% of the initial 72 million ETH supply was allocated to the founding team. This allocation became the foundation of Vitalik Buterin’s long-term crypto wealth. While exact individual distributions were not publicly itemized at launch, blockchain data shows that Buterin controlled over 662,000 ETH in 2015, representing about 0.91% of the total supply at the time

Ethereum Holdings and Share of Total Supply

Vitalik Buterin’s known ETH holdings stand near 224,104 tokens, as per the Arkham report. At recent prices near $1,950, this places the ETH value close to $439.07 million. However, his estimated crypto net worth was about $467 million in December 2025. This decline is a subsidiary of the crypto market dip and recent blockchain data showing he sold 2,972 ETH worth about $6.69 million over three days. 

However, as we reported, the transactions were linked to wallets associated with him. No official statement was issued regarding the transfers.

Historical balance records show his ownership share has steadily declined. On December 31, 2015, he held 662,810 ETH, or about 0.91% of the supply. By December 31, 2025, that figure had fallen to roughly 0.20%. At the current prices and holdings, Vitalik has 0.027% of the supply.

Source: Arkham

Buterin stated in 2018 that he never held more than 0.9% of the total ETH supply. On-chain records appear consistent with that statement, but his holdings have gradually decreased year by year.

Moreover, Buterin’s wealth has closely tracked the ETH market cycles. In November 2021, when ETH reached $4,891, his net worth briefly touched $2.09 billion. He also crossed billionaire status earlier in 2021 as ETH moved above $3,000.

However, just like the recent market decline, during the 2022 market downturn, ETH declined sharply. By December 31, 2022, the value of his holdings had dropped near $300 million. In 2025, his wealth again peaked near $1.2 billion when ETH approached $5,000.

Vitalik’s Non-ETH Holdings and Other Assets

In the detailed report, ETH tokens represent over 99% of Vitalik Buterin’s disclosed crypto portfolio. However, he holds smaller balances in other tokens such as WHITE, MOODENG, and KNC based on portfolio tracking data.

In 2021, he received 50% of the SHIB supply from its developer. The allocation briefly pushed his net worth near $20 billion. However, he later burned about 410 trillion SHIB and donated the rest to CryptoRelief India.

Buterin has also participated in early funding rounds for StarkWare, a zero-knowledge proof developer valued at $8 billion in 2022. However, the details on his equity stake remain private, and public data on his non-crypto assets is limited.

Buterin's Position Among Top ETH Holders

As per the Arkham report, Vitalik is not the top holder since institutional entities dominate the largest ETH holdings. The ETH2 Deposit Contract holds the highest amount OF ABOUT 80,857,848 ETH because validators must stake ETH there. Following closely, exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase also rank near the top.

However, Vitalik Buterin appears to be the largest individual ETH holder with active access to his tokens. Some early holders own large balances but lack wallet access. Consequently, his rank remains high among Ethereum co-founders and early contributors.

Source: Ethereum Treasuries

In parallel with founder and early contributor holdings, corporate Ethereum treasuries have also expanded in 2026. BitMine Immersion currently ranks as the largest identified corporate ETH holder, reporting approximately 4,371,497 ETH on its balance sheet, including a net addition of 168,462 ETH over the past 30 days. Coming in second, SharpLink holds about 864,840 ETH, while The Ether Machine controls roughly 496,712 ETH, coming in third in the largest ETH treasury firms.