There are 56 fintech billionaires around the world who combine a total net worth of US$327.7 billion, data curated by Finextra based on Forbes’ 2021 World’s Billionaires list show. These represent some of the world’s biggest and most successful fintech companies in the world including Ant Group, PayPal, Stripe and Klarna. They are also world renowned fintech investors and the founders of leading firms such as Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters.
US leads in fintech billionaire count
Out of the 56 fintech billionaires identified, 28 are in the US, making it the largest hub of fintech billionaires.
US fintech billionaires are worth a combined US$162.1 billion and represent industries including financial media and information, payment, cryptocurrency, blockchain, brokerage and trading, and digital banking.
They include the three co-founders of financial information and media firm Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg (worth US$59 billion), Charles Zegar (US$2.6 billion), and Duncan MacMillan (US$1.5 billion), eBay founder Pierre Omidyar (US$21.4 billion), Square founder Jack Dorsey (US$12.5) and co-founder Jim McKelvey (US$3.5 billion), and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong (US$6.5 billion) and founder Fred Ehrsam (US$1.9 billion).
Other notable US fintech billionaires include identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (worth US$3 billion individually), the two founders of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen (US$3.4 billion), blockchain and crypto pioneer Jed McCaleb (US$2 billion), venture capitalist (VC) Tim Draper (US$1.5 billion), Chime co-founder Chris Britt (US$1.3 billion), and Robinhood founder Vlad Tenev (US$1 billion) and co-founder Baiju Bhatt (US$1 billion).
Fintech billionaires around the worldAfter the US, China has the second highest number of fintech billionaires at 6 for a combined total net worth of US$65 billion. Three of them are affiliated with Ant Group, the fintech spinoff of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba and the world’s most valuable fintech company at US$220 billion. They are Jack Ma (US$48.4 billion), Alibaba’s co-founder, Eric Jing (US$1.7 billion), Ant Group’s executive chairman, and Shao Xiaofeng (US$1.3 billion), a major shareholder of Ant Group and former chief risk officer at Alibaba. Other Chinese fintech billionaires include Qi Shi (US$10.4 billion), the founder of Shenzhen-listed East Money Information, a financial and stock information website provider, Changpeng Zhao (US$1.9 billion), the founder and CEO of Binance, one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, and Ye Qiongjiu (US$1.3 billion), the deputy general manager of HithinkRoyalFlush Information Network, an online financial information services business. Brazil has the third highest number of fintech billionaires at three who combine a total net worth of US$9.5 billion. They are Andre Street (US$2.5 billion) and Eduardo de Pontes (US$2.4 billion), the co-founders of StoneCo, a Nasdaq-listed cloud-based online payment processor, and Luis Frias (US$4.6 billion), the chairman of PagSeguro Digital, a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)-listed payment company. |
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The UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, and Australia all have two fintech billionaires each, who oftentimes are the two co-founders of a successful company.
In Ireland, they are John Collison (IUS$3.2 billion) and Patrick Collison (US$3.2 billion), the co-founders of Stripe, the world’s most valuable VC-backed private company at US$95 billion.
In Sweden, they are Victor Jacobsson (US$2.7 billion) and Sebastian Siemiatkowski (US$2.2 billion), the co-founders of Klarna, Europe’s most valuable fintech company at US$31 billion.
In the Netherlands, they are Arnout Schuijff (US$3.5 billion) and Pieter van der Does (US$2.6 billion), the co-founders of payment processing company Adyen.
And in Australia, they are Anthony Eisen (US$1.8 billion) and Nick Molnar (US$1.8 billion), the co-founders of Afterpay, a leading buy now pay later company.
Other fintech billionaires around the world include Swiss Guillaume Pousaz (US$9 billion), the founder of Checkout.com, the UK’s most valuable fintech company at US$15 billion, Canadian David Thomson (US$41.8 billion) of Thomson Reuters, India’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma (US$2.3 billion), the founder of Paytm, the country’s largest mobile wallet, the UK’s Nik Storonsky (US$1.2 billion), the co-founder of neobank Revolut, and Colombian David Velez, the founder and CEO of Brazil’s Nubank, the largest fintech company and the most valuable VC-backed company in Latin America valued at US$25 billion.
| Fintech Rank | Billionaire Rank | Name | Worth (US$ bn) | Country | Business | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Michael Bloomberg | 59 | USA | Bloomberg | Michael Bloomberg cofounded financial information and media company Bloomberg LP in 1981. |
| 2 | 26 | Jack Ma | 48.4 | China | Ant Group | A former English teacher, Jack Ma cofounded Alibaba Group, one of the world’s largest e-commerce businesses. |
| 3 | 33 | David Thomson | 41.8 | Canada | Thomson Reuters | David Thomson and his family control a media and publishing empire founded by his grandfather Roy Thomson. |
| 4 | 83 | Pierre Omidyar | 21.4 | USA | PayPal | Pierre Omidyar founded online auction firm eBay in 1995 and now serves on the company’s board. |
| 5 | 173 | Jack Dorsey | 12.5 | USA | Square | Tattooed entrepreneur Jack Dorsey has been CEO of both social media firm Twitter and small business payments company Square since 2015. |
| 6 | 216 | Qi Shi | 10.4 | China | East Money Information | Qi Shi chairs Shenzhen-listed East Money Information, which operates one of the country’s most popular financial and stock information websites. |
| 7 | 262 | Guillaume Pousaz | 9 | Switzerland | Checkout.com | Guillaume Pousaz founded Checkout.com in 2012 to solve the problem of online payment processing for shops and shoppers around the world. |
| 8 | 274 | Sam Bankman-Fried | 8.7 | USA | FTX | Sam Bankman-Fried manages $2.5 billion of assets through Alameda Research, the quantitative crypto trading firm he founded in 2017. |
| 9 | 404 | Brian Armstrong | 6.5 | USA | Coinbase | Brian Armstrong is the chief executive of Coinbase Global, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States. |
| 10 | 539 | David Velez | 5.2 | Colombia | Nubank | Vélez is cofounder and CEO of Nubank, a Sao-Paulo based digital bank that offers credit cards, checking accounts and life insurance. |
| 11 | 622 | Luis Frias | 4.6 | Brazil | PaySeguro Digital | Luis Frias is chairman of PagSeguro Digital, a payments company that went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018, raising over $2 billion. |
| 12 | 680 | Scott Cook | 4.2 | USA | Intuit | Scott Cook is the cofounder of financial software giant Intuit, known for products like QuickBooks, TurboTax and Mint. |
| 13 | 859 | Arnout Schuijff | 3.5 | Netherlands | Adyen | Arnout Schuijff is the cofounder of Adyen, an Amsterdam-based payment processing company. |
| 13 | 859 | Jim McKelvey | 3.5 | USA | Square | Jim McKelvey cofounded payments firm Square with Jack Dorsey in 2009 after he had trouble selling a $2,000 art piece from his studio. |
| 13 | 859 | Thomas Secunda | 3.5 | USA | Bloomberg | Thomas Secunda is a cofounder of financial services and media company Bloomberg LP. |
| 14 | 891 | Chris Larsen | 3.4 | USA | Ripple | Chris Larsen cofounded Ripple in 2012 to facilitate international payments for banks using blockchain technology. |
| 15 | 925 | Vyacheslav Kim | 3.3 | Kazakhstan | Kaspi Bank | Vyacheslav Kim is chairman of Kaspi Bank, Kazakhstan’s largest payments and fintech company. |
| 16 | 956 | Mikhail Lomtadze | 3.2 | Georgia | Kaspi Bank | Kaspi is Kazakhstan’s largest payments and fintech ecosystem with over 7 million monthly users. |
| 16 | 956 | John Collison | 3.2 | Ireland | Stripe | John Collison is cofounder and president of Stripe, a company that lets businesses and individuals accept payments over the internet. |
| 16 | 956 | Patrick Collison | 3.2 | Ireland | Stripe | Patrick Collison is the cofounder and CEO of Stripe, a company that lets businesses and individuals accept payments over the internet. |
| 17 | 1008 | Cameron Winklevoss | 3 | USA | Gemini | Identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss cofounded cryptocurrency exchange Gemini in 2014; today it processes about $200 million a day in trades. |
| 17 | 1008 | Tyler Winklevoss | 3 | USA | Gemini | Identical twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss cofounded cryptocurrency exchange Gemini in 2014; today it processes about $200 million a day in trades. |
| 18 | 1064 | Chad Richison | 2.9 | USA | Paycom | Chad Richison is founder and CEO of Paycom, one of the first companies to process payroll completely online. |
| 19 | 1174 | Victor Jacobsson | 2.7 | Sweden | Klarna | Jacobsson cofounded Klarna in 2005, pioneering the buy-now, pay-later model in fintech that has recently soared in popularity. |
| 20 | 1205 | Pieter van der Does | 2.6 | Netherlands | Adyen | Pieter van der Does is the cofounder and CEO of Adyen, an Amsterdam-based payment processing company. |
| 20 | 1205 | Steven Sarowitz | 2.6 | USA | Paylocity | Steven Sarowitz founded online payroll firm Paylocity in 1997 after working at several other payroll firms. |
| 20 | 1205 | Charles Zegar | 2.6 | USA | Bloomberg | Charles Zegar is one of three billionaire cofounders of financial services and media giant Bloomberg LP. |
| 21 | 1249 | Andre Street | 2.5 | Brazil | StoneCo | Andre Street is a cofounder of StoneCo, a Brazilian cloud-based online payment processor that raised $1.5 billion in its 2018 IPO. |
| 22 | 1299 | Eduardo de Pontes | 2.4 | Brazil | StoneCo | Eduardo de Pontes is a cofounder of StoneCo, a Brazilian cloud-based online payment processor; it raised $1.5 billion in its 2018 IPO. |
| 22 | 1299 | William Stone | 2.4 | USA | SS&C | Bill Stone started financial-software firm SS&C Technologies in 1986 with the $20,000 he had saved from his days as a KPMG executive. |
| 23 | 1362 | Vijay Shekhar Sharma | 2.3 | India | Paytm | Son of a schoolteacher from a small city in north India, Vijay Shekhar Sharma founded fast-rising mobile wallet Paytm in 2011. |
| 23 | 1362 | Jared Isaacman | 2.3 | USA | Shift4 Payments | Jared Isaacman is the founder and CEO of Allentown, Pennsylvania-based payment processing firm Shift4 Payments. |
| 23 | 1362 | Michael Saylor | 2.3 | USA | MicroStrategy | Michael Saylor is the CEO of business analytics software firm MicroStrategy. |
| 24 | 1444 | Sebastian Siemiatkowski | 2.2 | Sweden | Klarna | Siemiatkowski cofounded Klarna in 2005, pioneering the buy-now, pay-later model in fintech that has recently soared in popularity. |
| 24 | 1444 | Max Levchin | 2.2 | USA | Affirm | Levchin is cofounder and CEO of Affirm, a fintech lending company that helps people pay for items like cameras and dresses in installments. |
| 25 | 1580 | Jed McCaleb | 2 | USA | Mt Gox; Ripple; Stellar | McCaleb was an early pioneer in the blockchain space who helped launch three well-known crypto firms. |
| 26 | 1664 | Changpeng Zhao | 1.9 | China | Binance | Changpeng Zhao, who goes by CZ, is founder and CEO of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange that became the largest on the planet in just under 180 days. |
| 26 | 1664 | Fred Ehrsam | 1.9 | USA | Coinbase | Ehrsam founded cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase in 2012 with Brian Armstrong. It has since grown into the largest U.S. crypto brokerage. |
| 27 | 1750 | Anthony Eisen | 1.8 | Australia | Afterpay | Anthony Eisen is cofounder and CEO of Afterpay, which lets people pay for retail items like clothing in four interest-free installments. |
| 27 | 1750 | Nick Molnar | 1.8 | Australia | Afterpay | Nick Molnar cofounded Australian fintech startup Afterpay in 2015, which lets people pay for small items like dresses in 4 interest-free installments. |
| 28 | 1833 | Philip Fayer | 1.7 | Canada | Nuvei | Philip Fayer is chairman and CEO of Nuvei Corp.; he founded the predecessor to the payment processor company in 2003. |
| 28 | 1833 | Eric Jing | 1.7 | China | Ant Group | Eric Jing is the executive chairman of financial services firm Ant Group, an affiliate of China e-commerce giant Alibaba Group. |
| 29 | 1931 | Barry Silbert | 1.6 | USA | Digital Currency Group | Barry Silbert is the founder and CEO of Digital Currency Group (DCG), a conglomerate of five cryptocurrency-focused companies. |
| 29 | 1931 | David Zalik | 1.6 | USA | Greensky | David Zalik is the cofounder and CEO of financial technology company GreenSky. |
| 30 | 2035 | Tim Draper | 1.5 | USA | Draper Fisher Jurvetson | A scion of a Silicon Valley investing dynasty, Tim Draper is a founding partner of venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson. |
| 30 | 2035 | Duncan MacMillan | 1.5 | USA | Bloomberg | Duncan MacMillan cofounded financial data and media company Bloomberg LP in 1981 with Mike Bloomberg, Thomas Secunda and Charles Zegar. |
| 30 | 2035 | Matthew Roszak | 1.5 | USA | Bloq | Roszak is cofounder and chairman of Bloq, a blockchain technology startup that consults on projects such as helping banks store digital assets. |
| 31 | 2263 | Shao Xiaofeng | 1.3 | China | Ant Group | Shao Xiaofeng’s fortune arises from his holdings in Ant Group, the financial services arm of China e-commerce leader Alibaba Group. |
| 31 | 2263 | Ye Qiongjiu | 1.3 | China | Hithink RoyalFlush Information Network | Ye Qiongjiu is deputy general manager of HithinkRoyalFlush Information Network, an online financial information services business. |
| 31 | 2263 | Chris Britt | 1.3 | USA | Chime | Chris Britt cofounded San Francisco startup Chime in 2013 as a mobile banking app and debit card with no monthly fees. |
| 32 | 2378 | Ronald Slabke | 1.2 | Germany | Hypoport SE | Ronald Slabke is the CEO of Hypoport SE, a network of technology companies serving the credit, real estate and insurance industries. |
| 32 | 2378 | Simon Nixon | 1.2 | UK | MoneySupermarket | Simon Nixon earned the bulk of his fortune from his price-comparison website MoneySuperMarket. |
| 32 | 2378 | Nik Storonsky | 1.2 | UK | Revolut | Nik Storonsky cofounded and runs U.K.-based financial services firm Revolut. |
| 32 | 2378 | Ronald Clarke | 1.2 | USA | Fleetcor Technologies | Ronald Clarke is the CEO and chairman of Fleetcor Technologies, a $2.4 billion (sales) digital payments company. |
| 33 | 2674 | Baiju Bhatt | 1 | USA | Robinhood | Baiju Bhatt cofounded no-fee stock trading app Robinhood in 2013 with his friend Vlad Tenev. |
| 33 | 2674 | Vlad Tenev | 1 | USA | Robinhood | Vlad Tenev is CEO of no-fee stock trading app Robinhood, which he founded in 2013 with his friend Baiju Bhatt. |
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