The pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, is believed to hold the most Bitcoin (around 1.1 million BTC), mined in the early days, though these coins remain dormant. Among active entities, Bitcoin ETFs collectively own over 1.1 million BTC, making them the largest current holders, followed by companies like MicroStrategy (over 600,000 BTC), and exchanges like Coinbase holding large reserves.
SUMMARY
If you had the foresight, or simply the good luck, to have invested $1,000 in Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) a decade ago, and never sold, you would have more than $398,000 today.
The richest Bitcoin owner is the anonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, estimated to hold around 1.1 million BTC from early mining, though these coins remain dormant; among living individuals, figures like Changpeng Zhao (CZ) and companies like MicroStrategy (led by Michael Saylor) rank among the largest holders, alongside institutional products like BlackRock's ETF.
James Howells, the man who accidentally threw away a hard drive with thousands of Bitcoin (originally around 7,500 to 8,000 BTC) in 2013, has spent over a decade trying to get it back from a landfill in Wales, but has largely given up after numerous failed attempts and rejections from local authorities, with a judge ruling his quest unlikely to succeed, though he's explored tokenizing the assets and even buying the landfill site.
Key Takeaways. The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property, meaning that when you buy, sell or exchange it, this counts as a taxable event and typically results in either a capital gain or loss. When you earn income from cryptocurrency activities, this is taxed as ordinary income.
If you had invested $500 in Bitcoin (BTC 0.49%) five years ago, you'd have about $5,238 today. In other words, you would have more than 10x returns. Image source: Getty Images.
Laszlo Hanyecz, a programmer and early Bitcoin miner, famously traded 10,000 Bitcoin for two Papa John's pizzas on May 22, 2010, marking the first documented commercial transaction for physical goods with cryptocurrency, a day now celebrated as "Bitcoin Pizza Day". At the time, the Bitcoins were worth only about $41, but the value of those coins would later grow to be worth hundreds of millions, even over a billion dollars, making it one of history's most expensive pizzas.
Ricardo Benjamín Salinas Pliego, a billionaire from Mexico and one of the three richest people in the country, has put 70% of his wealth in bitcoin.
About 480–500 million people now own Bitcoin globally. Fewer than 1 million wallets hold 1 BTC or more. Around 150,000 wallets hold 10 BTC or more. Owning 0.1 BTC already puts you in the top 10% of Bitcoin holders.
Standard Chartered's Geoff Kendrick conceded Tuesday that Bitcoin will not reach his $200,000 target by the end of the year–a forecast he has stood by for over a year. Instead, he now expects Bitcoin to hit $100,000 by the end of 2025.
Bitcoin is a risky investment with obvious high volatility, and generally should be considered only if you have a high risk tolerance, are in a strong financial position already and can afford to lose some or all of your investment.
However, as Bitcoin evolves, no new Bitcoins will be released after the limit of 21 million coins is reached. This supply limit is likely to have the most significant impact on Bitcoin miners, but it's possible that Bitcoin investors could also experience adverse effects.
Despite extreme volatility, Bitcoin's price has skyrocketed 1,060% in the past five years as I write this. This monster gain would've turned a $10,000 initial capital outlay in October 2020 to a whopping $115,700 on Oct. 6.
If you're holding crypto, there's no immediate gain or loss, so the crypto is not taxed. Tax is only incurred when you sell the asset, and you subsequently receive either cash or units of another cryptocurrency: At this point, you have “realized” the gains, and you have a taxable event.
The New Liberty Standard Exchange recorded the first exchange of Bitcoin for dollars in late 2009. Users on the BitcoinTalk forum traded 5,050 bitcoins for $5.02 via PayPal, making the first price mediated through an exchange a bargain basement price of $0.00099 per bitcoin.