98% of Vitalik Buterin’s Wealth Remains in Ethereum

Vitalik Buterin’s net worth is now estimated at roughly 706.9 million dollars, and almost the entire amount moves together with Ethereum’s price. The latest market downturn showed how sensitive his portfolio is: over the last week alone, the value of his holdings fell by about 71.7 million dollars as ETH slid during the broader crypto correction.

A look at the on-chain data gives a clear explanation. Across ten publicly linked wallet addresses, Buterin controls more than 241,000 ETH — worth around 696 million dollars at current prices. This concentration is unusually high for a major project founder, as most diversify into different assets, stablecoins, or equity. Instead, Buterin keeps nearly everything in his own network’s native token, showing how closely his financial position is tied to the performance of Ethereum itself.

His wallets also contain a large number of memecoins and small-cap tokens, but these are not real investments. Projects often airdrop tokens to high-profile figures without consent to create the illusion of endorsement. Although the on-chain values of some of these tokens look huge on paper, most of them cannot be sold due to extremely low liquidity. For this reason, the headline numbers greatly exaggerate how much they’re actually worth, and they do not influence Buterin’s real net worth.

The recent sell-off across the crypto market caused significant losses for many investors, and Buterin was no exception. Because he holds almost no diversified positions outside of Ethereum, every major ETH price move directly affects his personal fortune. Even with this volatility, he has repeatedly shown no intention of moving into safer or more balanced assets. His long-term stance remains unchanged: he is committed to Ethereum, both as a technology and as his primary financial exposure.

This level of concentration is rare, especially among founders of major blockchain projects, but it highlights Buterin’s confidence in the future of Ethereum. His portfolio rises quickly during bull markets and drops just as sharply during downturns, but he continues to stand by the idea that Ethereum’s long-term value will justify staying heavily invested.