Can Satoshi Nakamoto Become the Richest Person on Earth by the End of 2025?

Bitcoin (BTC) is at a six-figure level, with institutional capital flooding the market. With this, analysts are currently facing the question: Could Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, become the richest person on the planet before the end of this year? With approximately 1.1 million BTC believed to belong to Satoshi, the BTC he holds is currently worth over 130 billion dollars at current market prices. $320,000 BTC Or Bankruptcy: What Will Help Satoshi Outperform Elon Musk With favorable conditions, Satoshi could become the richest person on Earth before the end of this year. This means surpassing the estimated net worth of 350–400 billion dollars of Elon Musk, primarily associated with Tesla, SpaceX and X (Twitter). For Satoshi to surpass him, Bitcoin will need to reach a price of $320,000 to $370,000, increasing from 2.7 to 3.1 times its current level. However, achieving that milestone is not merely a price target. This is a referendum on the adoption of Bitcoin globally, the macroeconomic fluctuations, and the proliferation of digital assets in how investors, including both institutional or TradFi, measure wealth. In an interview with BeInCrypto, some experts indicated that Satoshi Nakamoto could potentially become the richest person by the end of 2025, but they acknowledged that this timeframe is too short. Vikrant Sharma, CEO of Cake Labs, the company that founded Cake Wallet, shared with BeInCrypto that: "If not in 2025, then 2026 seems to be a sure time." This means that although it is speculative in nature, this price level is not unimaginable, with a timeline requiring a strong influx of capital, macroeconomic drivers, and breakthroughs in regulation. Can Organizations Push BTC Up to $320,000 by the End of the Year? Since the approval of Bitcoin ETF ( exchange-traded funds ), institutional investment momentum has surged. BlackRock's IBIT currently holds about 727,359 BTC.

The capital flowing into spot ETF funds is exceeding the expectations of many analysts, with reports suggesting that BlackRock's IBIT ETF could reach $100 billion in assets this month.

However, the increase of Bitcoin from 118,000 dollars to 320,000 dollars in five months is not merely a continuation. It requires a historical scale acceleration. Maksym Sakharov, co-founder and CEO of the decentralized bank WeFi, stated in a statement to BeInCrypto: "For Bitcoin to reach $320,000 within five months, institutional buying must exceed all numbers seen so far. This will require a major move - such as the U.S. announcing strategic Bitcoin reserves or national investment funds pouring in heavily." Even if the Ministry of Finance is under pressure, moderate policies and geopolitical instability serve as driving forces, the likelihood that everything will be fine by 2025 is very low, but not impossible. Lennix Lai, CCO of OKX Global, stated: "This requires the opposite event of a black swan event... The flow of capital from institutions continues to pour in, positive news about regulation, major central banks easing policies, and large companies actively adding BTC." Paradox of Exclusion: Why Satoshi Is Not on the Rich List Although holding a sufficient amount of Bitcoin to compete with nations, Satoshi still does not appear on the Forbes or Bloomberg billionaire lists. Cryptocurrency, despite being a $3.9 trillion asset class, is still not fully represented in mainstream asset rankings. Experts largely believe that this is due to issues related to custody, allocation, and transparency. Sakharov pointed out that: "Satoshi would rank 11th globally if considering the amount of Bitcoin he holds." While founders of exchanges like Changpeng Zhao (CZ) of Binance and CEO Brian Armstrong of Coinbase have made the list, most of their wealth is calculated through company valuations rather than self-custodied cryptocurrencies. "At this point, it really seems unreasonable... Their methodology appears to be increasingly outdated," he added. Meanwhile, Sharma notes that self-managing Bitcoin makes sense as it is one of the largest asset classes by market capitalization.

Sharma also believes that this choice is due to central banks continuously devaluing fiat currency, making Bitcoin more attractive. "Why aren't you holding the 5th largest asset by market capitalization? With central banks continuously devaluing fiat currency, switching to sound money seems to be inevitable," Sharma told BeInCrypto. Custodianship, Information Disclosure and the Future of the Billionaires' Asset Rankings The infrastructure needs to catch up so that cryptocurrencies can be treated on par with stocks or real estate. Custody audits, self-custody verification, and reporting standards are still being developed. According to Sakharov, the current procedural challenges are overshadowing technical concerns, as asset managers still lack reporting standards that would give cryptocurrencies similar reliability to stocks. Sharma added: "If assets are held through ETF funds or Bitcoin fund management companies, reporting will be easier, but self-custody will complicate disclosure — and Forbes still does not have the capacity to handle that issue." However, the situation is changing, with audits becoming increasingly popular. Asset managers are gradually becoming more open when recommending an allocation of 5–10% in cryptocurrency. National investment funds are also keeping an eye on BTC, which could lead to the integration of cryptocurrency holdings into the global billionaire rankings. The Billionaire No One Can Find Meanwhile, Bitcoin is no longer something foreign. From ETFs to treasury bonds to comparisons with gold by central banks, the pioneering cryptocurrency has fully entered the era of institutions. However, its most mysterious holder, Satoshi Nakamoto, remains an anomaly, holding a wealth larger than that of an entire country, yet still absent from every rich list. Whether Bitcoin reaches $320,000 this year or next, some may find it more interesting to know who Satoshi really is rather than whether he will become the richest person in the world.