Three years ago, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin revealed on Reddit that his Ethereum (ETH) holdings initially originated from a pre-mining distribution totaling 11.9 million ETH.
Buterin received around 700,000 ETH from that amount. According to the latest data from Arkham, Buterin currently holds 240,000 ETH worth around $1.06 billion. This current holding represents a decrease of around 423,000 ETH compared to its peak.
Buterin has consistently emphasized that he has not sold any ETH for personal profit since 2018. “All sales have been made to support various projects that I believe are valuable within the Ethereum ecosystem or broader charitable causes such as biomedical R&D,” he said in a recent statement.
He also explained that any transactions that move his ETH to exchanges are not for personal gain, but are typically donations to charities, non-profits, or other projects. According to the statement, buyers also sell ETH to cover their operational expenses.
Buterin reiterated this point on Warpcast, saying:
“If you see an article that says ‘Vitalik sent XXX ETH to an exchange’, that’s not actually me selling. Almost always I’m donating to a charity, non-profit, or other project, and the buyer is selling because they have to cover their costs.”
*This is not investment advice.