Who Owns the Most Ethereum?

It is impossible to answer this question as Ethereum ownership is anonymous, and public ownership records do not exist. One of the largest holders is Vitalik Buterin, the inventor of the Ethereum whitepaper. However, he isn’t the most Ethereum.

How Many Ethereum Holders are There?

As of July 2025, there are over 110 million unique Ethereum addresses holding a non-zero balance, according to data from Etherscan and Glassnode. However, it’s important to note that a single individual or entity may control multiple addresses, making the exact number of Ethereum holders difficult to determine.

Ethereum’s decentralised nature ensures anonymity, meaning there is no public ownership record. Nevertheless, prominent figures such as Vitalik Buterin, the co-creator of Ethereum, are known to hold significant amounts of ETH.  Who owns the most Ethereum?

Ethereum Holders: Who owns the most Ethereum?

Ethereum holders tend to be secretive about the amount of ETH they control. There is a certain amount of common sense that can be extrapolated. The blockchain is a public record, so specific wallets can be followed to get an idea of what the “smart money” is doing. These are the top holders of Ethereum, based on how much is in each address. Who it is doesn’t matter nearly as much as what they do with it. The biggest holders of Ethereum move the markets, so some places specialize in following what these “Whales” are doing.

While most Ethereum holders remain anonymous, blockchain analysis makes it possible to identify wallets with large balances. These wallets are often owned by cryptocurrency exchanges and institutional investors.

Key Ethereum “Whales”

• Binance: Holds over 7.8 million ETH.
• Coinbase: Controls approximately 5.3 million ETH.
• Kraken: Owns around 3.1 million ETH.

These large holdings are primarily for liquidity purposes and facilitating trades on their platforms.

Exploring the Ethereum Holders List

Identifying the largest holders of Ethereum can go a long way to understanding the belief behind the ecosystem. Some of the biggest holders will be exchanged, as they are forced to own a lot of Ethereum to facilitate the trading of Ethereum. In this case, the ETH holdings aren’t about speculation; it’s about doing business.

Ethereum millionaires

There are no public records of “Ethereum millionaires,” as there is no general way to identify the owners of Ethereum addresses. Although, there are companies that specialize in the tracking down of people through addresses. Some prominent figures in the Ethereum community, such as Vitalik Buterin and Joseph Lubin, have been reported to have become wealthy through their involvement in the project. There are often referred to as “Ethereum whales.” They have large wallets that can move market sentiment.

Not only do they believe in the longer-term use of Ethereum for computing power, but also in the potential of using it for peer-to-peer payments. The extreme flexibility of Ethereum has made it attractive to many. Ethereum whales tend to be the “true believers” of the community that got in early.

There are no definitive records of “Ethereum millionaires,” but on-chain analysis suggests that over 150,000 addresses hold ETH worth more than $1 million at current prices. Companies like Chainalysis and Santiment provide analytics on whale movements, which are closely watched by traders.

The Biggest Ethereum Wallets

As you would expect, some of the biggest Ethereum wallets will include those facilitating trading and providing liquidity. These are typically considered corporate owners of ETH, as it is used to facilitate their business models. This includes multiple exchanges, with the following three being the biggest holders:

1. Binance – The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, holds the largest Ethereum wallet with more than 5 million ETH tokens stored.
2. Huobi – Huobi Global is another large crypto exchange platform with many Ethereum tokens in its wallets.
3. Bitfinex – Bitfinex is a digital asset trading platform and liquidity provider. It is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

It is probably worth noting that these companies are all exchanges that trade in “physical Ethereum.” This is different from how it is done at PrimeXBT, which Is a CFD broker, or “Contract-for-Difference.” This allows traders to use leverage, leading to potentially more significant profits. It also allows traders to both go long of Ethereum, as well as short, which is betting on the price following.

All this is done without the necessary custodial issues, as you are betting on the underlying prices moving back and forth but not necessarily taking hold of Ethereum itself. This simplifies the process of speculation and allows for a much more straightforward process for traders.

Companies Holding the Most Ethereum

The top holders of Ethereum are mostly cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance (7.2 million ETH), Huobi Global (3.3 million ETH), and OKEx (2.9 million ETH). Other significant holders include the Ethereum Foundation with 2.9 million ETH, Bitfinex (1.8 million ETH), and Santiment (1 million ETH).

How Much Ethereum Does Vitalik Buterin Hold?

Buterin’s Ethereum holdings aren’t explicitly known. However, there have been reports that it is believed that he holds approximately 246,000 ETH, based on a few well-known wallet addresses he is associated with. However, this isn’t all of the Ethereum it held at one point.

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