Identifying the exact largest crypto whales can be challenging due to the anonymous nature of cryptocurrency transactions. However, there are some known individuals in the crypto industry recognized as key players, such as:
1- Satoshi Nakamoto: It is believed that Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of the first cryptocurrency (Bitcoin), owns about one million Bitcoin BTC, making him the largest crypto whale with a value close to $30.15 billion, given the current exchange rate of Bitcoin.
2- Changpeng Zhao (CZ): The emperor of the giant Binance exchange is also considered an important Bitcoin whale in the crypto market. Although no specific details about his holdings have been publicly disclosed, reports indicate that his net worth is estimated in the billions.
3- Michael Saylor (MicroStrategy): The company MicroStrategy, founded by American businessman Michael Saylor, is one of the most prominent Bitcoin whales. By April, MicroStrategy's Bitcoin holdings had reached 140,000 Bitcoin, making the company the largest holder of Bitcoin reserves.
4- Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb: For those who do not know who Chris Larsen and Jed McCaleb are, they are the American co-founders of Ripple, and Larsen is also a co-founder of Silicon Valley Bank. As crypto whales, Larsen holds at least 5.19 billion XRP, while McCaleb owns nearly 3.4 billion XRP.
5- Brian Armstrong and Vitalik Buterin: As the CEO of Coinbase and one of the founders of the Ethereum network respectively, Brian Armstrong and Vitalik Buterin are known as major crypto whales, with the value of the cryptocurrencies they hold estimated in the billions of dollars. Note that the exact wealth of both is unknown, but it is worth mentioning that Buterin holds over 355,000 Ethereum.
6- Winklevoss Twins: Twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss are estimated to hold 70,000 Bitcoin and founded the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange.
The most notable cryptocurrencies targeted by crypto whales in the current market
1- Bitcoin BTC, the first currency that crypto whales acquire in all its forms
According to current statistics as of June 22, 2023, the number of unique addresses holding BTC today is about 48.3 million Bitcoin addresses. Among these addresses, Binance holds about $7.44 billion worth of Bitcoin (248,597 Bitcoin). Next comes Bitfinex, which holds over $5.33 billion worth of Bitcoin.
The top 10 Bitcoin wallets hold over 5.32% of the total supply. Meanwhile, the top 50 Bitcoin holders control 10.68% of the supply, while the top 100 wallets own about 13.50% of the circulating supply of Bitcoin.
2- Ethereum ETH:
Ethereum (ETH) is currently the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. According to statistics, there are over 235.69 million ETH holders.
The top 10 Ether wallets control 31.15% of the second-largest cryptocurrency's supply. The top 50 wallets represent 38.92% of the coin's supply, while the top 100 addresses account for 44.34% of the ETH supply. It seems that whales are increasingly turning towards Ethereum.
3- Tether (USDT):
Although Tether (USDT) is pegged to the dollar and considered a safe haven from volatility and a means to preserve wealth stability, crypto whales do not overlook it and include it in their vast cryptocurrency holdings.
Tether (USDT) ranks as the third-largest cryptocurrency asset by market capitalization, and it is issued on multiple blockchains. As of June 22, there were over 4.3 million wallets holding USDT based on the Ethereum network. The stablecoin is held by over 8.8 million wallets on the Binance chain.
The top 10 holders represent 18.56% of the circulating USDT. Meanwhile, the top 50 owners hold 35.87% of the stablecoin's supply, while the top 100 wallets contain 42.74% of the USDT based on standards. It is worth noting that every wallet on the top 10 richest list for USDT based on ERC20 is classified as an exchange address.
4- Binance Token BNB:
Despite being the biggest losers in the recent relative market collapse in the second week of June, the whales rushed to buy the Binance token after its price drop to take advantage of its fall to a six-month low.
The Binance token is held by more than 282,000 wallets based on the Ethereum network. While the number of wallets holding it based on the Binance chain is unknown, it is often estimated to be over 2 million.
The top 10 wallets control 47.61% of the supply. Meanwhile, the top 50 wallets own over 64.91% of the BNB supply, while the top 100 wallets account for approximately 70.95% of the total market cap of the coin. However, only two wallets among the top 10 BNB addresses are classified as exchange wallets.
5- Ripple XRP:
In fifth place, we will surpass the stablecoin USDC, although it also attracts the attention of the whales. However, in this article, we only want to discuss 5 coins that represent the primary target of the whales, and it seems that Ripple is experiencing some active movement.
Recently, whales have notably turned towards acquiring XRP, which has pushed the price of the coin upward several times. After Ripple struggled below $0.4 in the first month of this year, its price surged more than 25% and is now above $0.5.
XRP is held by over 4.66 million wallets, with the top 10 wallets controlling nearly 10.8% of the XRP supply. Additionally, the top 50 XRP wallets represent 16.08% of the total supply, while the top 100 wallets hold about 32.9% of the supply. Notably, three of the top 10 wallets are owned by cryptocurrency exchanges.
In conclusion, it is important to note that cryptocurrency holdings are subject to change due to market fluctuations and additional investments or liquidations by whales. The cryptocurrency market is highly volatile, and new whales may emerge in the future.