Who Owns the Most Bitcoin in 2023? [Updated List]
Who owns the most Bitcoin in 2023: Bitcoin (BTC) is a precursor to decentralized peer-to-peer payments and the world’s largest cryptocurrency. It had a market capitalization of more than $471 billion as of February 23, 2022. Many early adopters have chosen Bitcoin because of its censorship-resistant and permissionless features. A peak of more than 1.3 million active BTC holding addresses was reached by April 2021, up from around 1,000 in July 2010.
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer electronic cash system that enables users to send payments online instantly between two parties without the use of a bank. The Bitcoin Whitepaper was published in October 2008 by the fictional creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. In January 2009, the first block on the Bitcoin network was discovered, giving the discoverer the first Bitcoin. Miners who verify transactions and add the transaction history to the open blockchain ledger are rewarded with new bitcoins.
On February 23, 2023, the market cap of BTC is $471 billion at a price of around $24,391. BTC’s market cap reached more than $1.27 trillion at its peak in November 2021, at an all-time high of $68,789. However, in 2022, a change in investor sentiment led to a crypto winter, with BTC down 63% since the beginning of December 2022.
Who owns the most bitcoin?
Most people believe that the person who created Bitcoin under the alias Satoshi Nakamoto has the most money in cryptocurrency. Nakamoto has not publicly stated how much Bitcoin he owns, but estimates indicate he has a wallet of around 1.1 million BTC. At the time of writing, this will amount to around 25 billion dollars.
The top Bitcoin owners are divided between private users, public businesses, organizations and anonymous wallets. The list of individuals with the highest bitcoin wealth is constantly changing along with the price of bitcoin. It is still difficult to identify who owns the most bitcoin. Bitcoin attracts many crowds as everyone wants to be a bitcoin owner.
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3 addresses contain the maximum number of bitcoins
The top bitcoin holders were found to be linked to addresses on cryptocurrency exchanges Binance (BNB) and BitFinex.
The richest address was that of Binance, which held 250,597 bitcoins worth more than $4 billion, or 1.3% of the total supply of bitcoins in circulation. As of now, the BitFinex wallet held approximately 0.9% of the total amount of Bitcoin in circulation. The third richest bitcoin address remained anonymous, holding 140,165 BTC. While wallet balances and blockchain data are both publicly visible, it should be noted that unless a wallet address holder voluntarily shares their identity, their identity remains anonymous.
5 public companies that own the most bitcoin
Here are the five public companies with the largest portfolios:
- Micro strategy
- Galaxy Digital Holdings
- Voyager Digital Ltd.
- Tesla
- Marathon Digital Holdings Inc.
1. Micro strategy
A well-known business analytics platform called MicroStrategy has chosen Bitcoin as its main reserve asset. It currently has 132,500 BTC in reserve, which equates to a little more than $4.03 billion, although the 2022 crypto crash has wiped billions of dollars worth of crypto holdings. MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor once stated that he was buying $1,000 worth of Bitcoin every second.
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2. Galaxy Digital Holdings
Crypto-focused merchant bank Galaxy Digital Holdings has 16,400 BTC. However, it does make it the largest institutional Bitcoin holder directly linked to the cryptocurrency market. Michael Novogratz founded the business in January 2018. It has also partnered with Block.one and BlockFi, among other cryptocurrency companies. Not surprisingly, Novogratz is a passionate supporter of bitcoin.
3. Voyager Digital Ltd.
Voyager Digital, a cryptocurrency brokerage, currently has 12,260 BTC or $267M at today’s exchange rates. The company, which aims to be a one-stop shop for trading digital assets, reported quarterly revenue of $60.4 million in May 2021, a 16-fold increase from the previous quarter. Voyager Digital was one of the main victims of the cryptocurrency crash of 2022.
4. Tesla
Tesla, an electric vehicle maker, joined the group of businesses holding bitcoin in December 2020. An SEC filing showed that Tesla had invested “a total of $1.50 billion” in the cryptocurrency. Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that the company sold 10% of its Bitcoin holdings in Q1 2021. However, he said it was “to prove the liquidity of Bitcoin as an alternative to keeping cash on the balance sheet.”
5. Marathon Digital Holdings Inc.
Not surprisingly, bitcoin mining company Marathon Digital is also a significant cryptocurrency investor. However, it has 10,055 BTC in its corporate treasury. Before switching to cryptocurrency mining, the company started as a patent holding company with the goal of creating “the largest Bitcoin mining operation in North America at one of the lowest energy costs.”
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As of 2023, there are 19 crypto billionaires
Although there is little data on the wealth distribution of anonymous Bitcoin owners. As of 2023, there are at least 19 crypto billionaires. The majority of those listed are CEOs and owners of well-known cryptocurrency exchanges, with Mark Zuckerberg’s opponents, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who together control $4 billion, being the most famous. Changpeng Zhao is considered to be the person who owns the most Bitcoin and whose identity is known.
Ukraine has the highest per capita ownership of Bitcoin
In terms of Bitcoin ownership per capita, Ukraine currently has the highest percentage. In Ukraine, approximately 12.73% of the population owns some form of cryptocurrency. However, since Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are not as well regulated as fiat currencies, it is difficult to determine who the largest Bitcoin holders are, but Bitcoin remains the most popular option. India has over 100 million crypto holders, followed by the US, which has over 27 million crypto holders.
Conclusion
It can be useful for retail bitcoin holders to know who has the most bitcoins, as wallets containing large amounts of BTC can have a significant influence on the price. It should be noted that all trading involves the risk of loss. Many people are still surprised to know that there are very few people who own the maximum bitcoin. Before trading, always do your own due diligence by reviewing the latest news, fundamental and technical analysis and analyst commentary. Remember that a user’s decision to trade should be based on their experience in the markets, risk tolerance, account size and trading strategy. Never trade with money you cannot afford to lose.
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