Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto could soon overtake Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg to become the world’s second richest

Key Takeaways

• Satoshi Nakamoto could become the world's second wealthiest person if Bitcoin grows by 50% annually.
• Elon Musk is likely to remain the world's richest individual even if Satoshi surpasses Buffett and Zuckerberg.

Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, could become the world’s second-wealthiest individual if Bitcoin maintains its annual growth rate of 50%, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas has suggested.

In a post on X on Monday, the analyst said that Satoshi’s estimated holdings of around 1.1 million BTC, which is worth more than $114 billion at current market prices, could surpass the net worth of Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg if Bitcoin continues its historical growth trajectory.

According to Forbes’ latest billionaire rankings , Berkshire Hathaway CEO has a net worth of approximately $154 billion as of June 2, placing him sixth among the world’s wealthiest individuals.

Meanwhile, Meta’s co-founder ranks just behind Elon Musk, with a fortune of $216 billion.

Satoshi’s estimated holdings of 1.1 million BTC briefly exceeded $120 billion as Bitcoin surged past $110,000, momentarily placing him ahead of Nvidia’s CEO in net worth, according to Arkham Intelligence. The lead was short-lived as the price soon dipped below $105,000.

Bitcoin is now trading at around $103,800, down almost 5% in the last seven days, TradingView data shows. Year-to-date, the digital currency has seen growth of approximately 11%.

With Bitcoin starting the year at approximately $94,000, a 50% annual growth rate, per Balchunas’ forecast, would place it above $140,000 by year-end 2025, which also matches other experts’ projections.

To date, the exact amount of Bitcoin that Satoshi owns is still unknown.

However, researchers have identified a distinct mining pattern and cluster of addresses believed to belong to Satoshi, leading to the generally accepted estimate of about 1.1 million BTC.

These coins were mined in Bitcoin’s early days and have remained untouched since the Bitcoin creator disappeared from public view around 2010.

The stash represents roughly 5% of all Bitcoin in existence, making Satoshi the largest single Bitcoin holder.