August 11, 2025
5 min read
Luc Jose Adjinacou
Buterin Hits Billionaire Mark Again In Crypto Assets
The meteoric rise of Ether has propelled Vitalik Buterin back into the exclusive circle of on-chain billionaires. The co-founder of Ethereum now sees the public value of his holdings exceed one billion dollars, driven by ETH crossing $4,000 for the first time in eight months. This resurgence occurs in a booming market fueled by massive institutional flows and renewed confidence in the Ethereum ecosystem.In brief
- Vitalik Buterin regains his on-chain billionaire status thanks to the recent surge in the price of Ether.
- ETH exceeds $4,000 for the first time in eight months, peaking at $4,332.
- Ethereum ETFs record record flows, surpassing those of Bitcoin over several consecutive days.
- Analysts anticipate a return to the all-time high of 2021, but Buterin warns against excessive leverage.
- 240,042 ETH, the main driver of his valuation;
- Smaller holdings in Aave Ethereum (AETHWETH);
- WhiteRock tokens (WHITE);
- Moo Deng tokens (MOODENG);
- Wrapped Ethereum (WETH). This is not the first time Buterin has reached this rank. In May 2021, at only 27 years old, he became a billionaire when ETH crossed $3,000, with about 333,500 ETH in his portfolio worth over one billion dollars. However, he specified that he “never held more than 0.9% of the total ETH supply” and that his fortune had not been close to this level outside that period.
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Vitalik Buterin, on-chain billionaire again
“Vitalik Buterin is again an on-chain billionaire,” announced blockchain analytics company Arkham this Saturday as Ethereum crossed $4,000 again. According to their data, his portfolio is estimated at approximately $1.04 billion, mainly composed of Ether but also diversified with other cryptocurrencies. The main identified positions are:A market driven by ETH and institutional flows
This return to billionaire status occurs amid a significant surge in Ether’s price. On Saturday, the price gained 6.38% in one day, reaching a peak of $4,332 before stabilizing around $4,244. Some market players believe that the price of ETH is on track to regain its all-time high of November 2021 at $4,878. On social network X, trader Ted stated that it is “just a matter of days.”I told you that the $ETH breakout is coming.>
And it happened exactly as predicted.>
Ethereum has smashed through its resistance and is now heading higher.>
It feels like a new ATH is just a matter of days now.>
— Ted (@TedPillows) August 9, 2025CoinGlass data reveals that a move to $4,500 would endanger about $1.35 billion of short positions, opening the way for a potential short squeeze. At the same time, ETH spot ETFs are recording massive inflows. Arkham notes that total flows in one day reached $461 million for Ether, compared to $404 million for Bitcoin.
ETFs are buying more ETH than Bitcoin.>
ETFs yesterday had total flows of $461M for ETH but only $404M for BTC.>
BlackRock bought $250M ETH
Fidelity bought $130M ETH
Grayscale bought $60M ETH>
— Arkham (@arkham) August 9, 2025Over the last five sessions, US-based ETH ETFs have gathered $326.6 million in net flows, compared to $253.2 million for Bitcoin, according to Farside. While Ethereum’s performance fuels euphoric sentiment, Vitalik Buterin calls for caution. Asked about the rise of ETH treasuries, he urges to avoid excesses and warned:
“If you woke me up in three years to tell me that treasuries led to ETH’s fall, my guess would be that they made it an overly leveraged game.”This return to billionaire status thus illustrates both the current strength of the market and the structural risks that can emerge in an environment driven by optimism and leverage.