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Satoshi Nakamoto Ascends to World’s 11th Wealthiest as Bitcoin Tops $120,000
Bitcoin’s elusive creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, has reportedly entered the ranks of the globe’s top billionaires after Bitcoin’s price surged past $120,000 on Sunday.
Blockchain analytics firm Arkham estimates Nakamoto owns roughly 1.096 million BTC distributed across numerous wallets, an amount valued at over $131 billion at present market rates.
This staggering fortune would theoretically elevate Nakamoto to the 11th spot on Forbes’ list of the world’s wealthiest individuals, placing him ahead of Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell, whose net worth sits at approximately $125.1 billion.
However, it’s worth noting that Forbes doesn’t include cryptocurrency wallet balances in their billionaire valuations. Instead, they calculate rankings based on publicly disclosed holdings such as shares, company stakes, and other verifiable assets.
How Nakamoto Could Overtake the World’s Richest
Bitcoin’s rally pushed it just above the $120,000 threshold on Monday, setting a fresh all-time high, according to data from Nansen. Yet the price remains insufficient for Nakamoto to claim the top spot among the world’s billionaires.
Currently, Elon Musk, CEO of both SpaceX and Tesla, sits firmly at the pinnacle of Forbes’ billionaire rankings with a fortune exceeding $404 billion.
Following Musk, Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, holds second place with an estimated net worth of $274 billion. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, also boasts a similar wealth figure, rounding out the top three.
For Nakamoto to surpass Musk and become the world’s wealthiest individual, Bitcoin would need to surge approximately 208% further to reach around $370,000 — assuming the valuations of other billionaires stay constant.
Could Nakamoto Climb Higher?
In a post shared on June 2 via X (formerly Twitter), Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas suggested that Nakamoto has a legitimate shot at becoming the world’s second-richest billionaire by late 2026.
He explained that if Bitcoin follows its typical annual growth of about 50%, Nakamoto might ascend to second place “sometime next year or so.”
Balchunas remarked, “It’s remarkable to consider that the person behind such an extraordinary creation has never liquidated his holdings. It’s reminiscent of Jack Bogle’s philosophy.”
Jack Bogle, the visionary founder of Vanguard Group, passed away in 2019 with an estimated net worth of only $80 million, despite being a peer to many billionaires.
Predictions for Bitcoin’s Price Trajectory
Last Thursday, Markus Thielen, who leads research at 10x Research, told Cointelegraph there’s roughly a 60% probability that Bitcoin could rise another 20% within the next two months, potentially reaching $133,000 by September.
Earlier in May, Bitwise’s Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan predicted Bitcoin could touch $200,000 by the end of 2025, largely driven by increased institutional buying and reduced supply.
Meanwhile, Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, has forecasted that Bitcoin could skyrocket to $250,000 before the year concludes.
How Other Bitcoin Whales Compare to Nakamoto
Among Bitcoin holders, Satoshi Nakamoto’s stash vastly eclipses that of any other entity or individual. Data from BiTBO indicates that corporations and custodial services collectively control around 847,000 BTC, roughly 4% of Bitcoin’s maximum supply.
A handful of prominent individuals also hold significant amounts of Bitcoin:
The Winklevoss twins, founders of Gemini, reportedly possess approximately 70,000 BTC.
Venture capitalist Tim Draper is said to hold around 30,000 BTC, acquired during the 2014 U.S. Marshals auction.
Michael Saylor, co-founder of MicroStrategy, is known to personally own about 17,732 BTC outside of his company’s reserves.
