Buterin Hits Billionaire Mark Again In Crypto Assets

The meteoric rise of Ether propels Vitalik Buterin back into the exclusive circle of on-chain billionaires. The co-founder of Ethereum sees the public value of his holdings exceed one billion dollars, driven by an ETH crossing $4,000 for the first time in eight months. This resurgence occurs in a boiling market, fueled by massive institutional flows and renewed confidence in the Ethereum ecosystem.

Vitalik Buterin, on-chain billionaire again

“Vitalik Buterin is again an on-chain billionaire”, announced blockchain analytics company Arkham this Saturday as Ethereum just crossed $4,000 again. According to their data, his portfolio is estimated at approximately 1.04 billion dollars, mainly composed of Ether, but also diversified with other cryptos.

BREAKING: VITALIK BUTERIN IS NOW AN ON-CHAIN BILLIONAIRE AGAIN pic.twitter.com/SWwBlqdfT5

— Arkham (@arkham) August 9, 2025

The main identified positions are :

• 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 that 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 had 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.

A market driven by ETH and institutional flows

This return to billionaire status occurs in a context where Ether experiences a significant surge. On Saturday, the price gained 6.38 % in one day, reaching a peak of 4,332 dollars before stabilizing around 4,244 dollars.

Some market players believe that the price of ETH is on track to regain its all-time high of November 2021 at 4,878 dollars. 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. pic.twitter.com/XCxetoP0Ku

— Ted (@TedPillows) August 9, 2025

CoinGlass data reveals that a move to 4,500 dollars would endanger about 1.35 billion dollars of short positions, opening the way for a potential short squeeze. At the same time, ETH spot ETFs are recording massive flows.

Arkham notes that total flows in one day reached 461 million dollars 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 pic.twitter.com/C3mSLAnw90

— Arkham (@arkham) August 9, 2025

Over the last five sessions, US-based ETH ETFs have gathered 326.6 million dollars in net flows, compared to 253.2 million for Bitcoin, according to Farside.

While Ethereum’s performance fuels a 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.