Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has indeed reasserted his place as a crypto billionaire on August 10, 2025 when his stake in crypto was valued at around $1.04 billion. As for Vitalik Buterin’s rise as an onchain billionaire, this comes as the price of Ethereum passes $4,200. This price is the highest point in 8 months’ time. It stimulates speculation that we may see the network return to its November 2021 all time high of $4,878.
Blockchain info from Arkham shows that Buterin’s primary asset is 240,042 ETH. This is worth about $1.017 billion at present prices. Also, he has a small cap of tokens in his portfolio. These include Aave Ethereum (AETHWETH), WhiteRock (WHITE), Moo Deng (MOODENG), and Wrapped Ethereum (WETH). You can see detailed token movement via Nansen, noting once more the onchain billionaire status of Vitalik Buterin.
From Fortune To Great Depression And Back
Buterin joined the ranks of the billionaires in May 2021 when ETH hit $3,000. During that same year which saw Ethereum’s record breaking run up in price, his net worth, including becoming an onchain billionaire, also went up. However, it then had a fall during the 2022 2024 crypto winter. At his peak Buterin held about 333,500 ETH. This amount has since gone down to his present 240,042 ETH, which is at 0.23% of all ETH in circulation.
In 2025 Ethereum saw a strong recovery. This took it back over the billion-dollar mark. That year the token went up 6.38% on the Saturday, which saw it reach as high as $4,332 before dropping to $4,244. Also, the month saw a 40% gain for the coin.
Bullish Momentum Builds Toward All-Time Highs
Market reports are noting that which is very likely for Ethereum to back into and go past its all-time high in the coming weeks. Furthermore, as Ethereum edges closer to this milestone, onchain billionaire Vitalik Buterin’s influence within the crypto space cannot be understated.
To the bull case add a short squeeze in at $4,500. At this level, $1.35 billion in short positions may see liquidation. Outside that we have a chance for a larger scale squeeze, which could break out past the prior record. This would, in turn, put $2.1 billion in shorts at risk.
Institutional interest is also growing. Ethereum ETFs have been outpacing Bitcoin ETFs of late, in which BlackRock’s ETHA is a leader in terms of inflows. Also, on August 9 alone, ETH ETFs saw $296.6 million in new money. At the same time, Bitcoin ETFs had $131 million left.
Institutional Adoption Meets Cautionary Warnings
Corporate uptake of Ethereum has grown which sees public companies hold almost $12 billion in ETH. Notable in this are BitMine at $3.2B, SharpLink Gaming at $2B, and The Ether Machine at $1.34B.
However, in a recent appearance on a podcast, Buterin put out a word of warning. Onchain billionaire Vitalik Buterin warned of the dangers of too much leverage in Ethereum’s treasury. This may bring about an environment of systemic liquidation, similar to the 2022 TerraLuna crash. “Leverage does not go beyond what is safe,” he stressed.
The Road Ahead For Ethereum
With the support of pro-business regulation which includes the U.S. GENIUS Act that brings clarity to stablecoins institutions are very much on board with growth within the Ethereum network. Analysts put forth that ETH may see a rise to $5000 in the short term. Year-end projections are between $5900 to $7100.
Vitalik Buterin has once again joined the ranks of onchain billionaires. This in turn means that Ethereum is on the rise. If the trend continues and we see to it that risks are minimized, we may see ETH into new and untrodden fields. Meanwhile, onchain billionaire Vitalik Buterin’s influence remains crucial.