- Satoshi Nakamoto holds 1.096 million BTC worth $129.23 billion and now ranks as the 11th richest person.
- Bitcoin must hit $366,241 for Nakamoto to surpass Elon Musk’s $404 billion net worth.
- Analysts predict Bitcoin could reach $200K to $400K in the next 18 months, driven by institutional demand and historical growth.
Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin, has climbed to the 11th spot among the world’s richest individuals, holding an estimated 1.096 million BTC worth $129.23 billion, according to Arkham Intelligence. Such estimation ranks Nakamoto above Michael Dell, who has been reported to have a net worth of 125.1 billion.
Forbes has yet to officially recognize Nakamoto on its real-time billionaire tracker. However, his asset combination would place him well between his peers, Dell and Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, who is ranked at number 10 at $140.3 billion.
Bitcoin recently reached a new all-time high of over $120,000, according to Nansen data. Yet, it would need to rally more than 180% for Nakamoto to surpass Elon Musk as the world’s richest person. At a Bitcoin price of $366,241, Nakamoto’s BTC holdings would be valued at roughly $401 billion, just shy of Musk’s current $404 billion net worth.
$400K Bitcoin Could Make Nakamoto No. 1
An anonymous crypto trader known as apsk32 projected Bitcoin could reach $400,000 using a network-based model. His analysis, built on power law growth and Metcalfe’s Law, suggests Bitcoin’s market cap in gold ounces follows a predictable pattern. Based on this model, the one-year-ahead support band aligns with a BTC price target near $400,000.
That target is echoed by BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes, who forecasted Bitcoin could hit $250,000 by year-end. Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, has estimated a $200,000 price by late 2025, citing increasing institutional demand.
Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas expects Nakamoto to reach the second spot on the billionaire list by the end of 2026, assuming Bitcoin maintains its historical annual growth of around 50%.
Bitcoin’s Momentum and Institutional Forecasts
Over the past week, Bitcoin has surged more than 9.6%, rising from $108,301 to an all-time high of $123K, based on CoinGecko data. It currently trades at around $119,717 with a market cap of $2.38 trillion and 19.89 million BTC in circulation.
Markus Thielen of 10x Research said there’s a 60% chance Bitcoin gains another 20% in the next two months, pushing the price to $133,000 by September.
Institutional holdings remain far below Nakamoto’s private stash. Companies and custodians together hold 847,000 BTC, or about 4% of the total supply, according to BiTBO. By contrast, individual whales like the Winklevoss twins hold approximately 70,000 BTC. Tim Draper owns around 30,000, while Michael Saylor holds 17,732 in his personal capacity.
A Billionaire Who Never Sold
Despite the staggering valuation of his holdings, Nakamoto has never moved or spent a single Satoshi from the original wallet addresses. Bloomberg’s Balchunas compared this to Vanguard founder Jack Bogle, who built a massive financial infrastructure yet died with a modest $80 million net worth.
While Bitcoin still needs to jump over 200% to reach $370,000 and dethrone Musk, the pathway is becoming clearer as institutional demand grows and supply continues to tighten. Whether Nakamoto ever touches his BTC or not, his digital fortune now stands among the most powerful in financial history.
