Business · Companies · 1 hr ago
Crypto entrepreneur becomes the Netherlands' richest person
Jean-Louis van der Velde is now the Netherlands' richest person, replacing Heineken heiress Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken.
The crypto entrepreneur's estimated fortune is €26 billion, which makes him about twice as wealthy as his predecessor.
He made his money through Tether, a cryptocurrency.
The annual Quote 500 estimates the wealth of the 500 richest people in the Netherlands using company accounts, property records and other public information.
Their combined wealth reached a record €300 billion, up more than 10% from last year.
The list also includes more AI entrepreneurs, including 31-year-old Pim de Witte, described as the youngest Dutch billionaire ever on the list.
Women remain underrepresented: they account for 44 of the 500 people, and only four of the 100 richest people under 40.
Jean-Louis van der Velde is the Netherlands’ richest person in the latest Quote 500 list, replacing Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken.
Van der Velde made his fortune with cryptocurrency and is estimated to have €26 billion.
The 500 richest people in the Netherlands have a combined estimated wealth of more than €300 billion, up more than 10% from last year.
The number of billionaires on the list rose from 52 to 56.
Quote estimates wealth using annual reports, land registry data and other public sources.
- Who
- Jean-Louis van der Velde, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur.
- What
- He has become the richest person in the Netherlands, according to the Quote 500.
- When
- The list was published on October 27, 2026.
- Where
- The Netherlands.
- Why
- His fortune, made with cryptocurrency including Tether, is estimated at €26 billion.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The combined wealth of the 500 richest people was €273 billion.
The latest Quote 500 list reported combined wealth of more than €300 billion and named Van der Velde the richest person in the Netherlands.
- Richest person
- Jean-Louis van der Velde
- Estimated fortune
- €26 billion
- Combined wealth
- More than €300 billion
- Change in combined wealth
- More than 10% increase from the previous year
- Billionaires on the list
- 56, up from 52
5 sources
Nieuwe rijkste Nederlander is mysterieuze cryptomiljardair met 26 miljard
Quote-500 opgeschud door AI-ondernemers en nieuwe rijkste Nederlander
Cryptomiljardair ook volgens Quote 500 de nieuwe rijkste Nederlander
Cryptomiljardair stormt lijst met rijkste Nederlanders binnen en onttroont Heineken-dochter
What people are saying
We have been able to confirm that he has a Dutch passport
Within a year, entrepreneurs in this sector can enter the list. That speed is really new.
You soon get the idea that such a list is really just a list of rich white men of an older age. For the most part, that is true.