Roger Ver is a Japanese-born American entrepreneur and early investor in Bitcoin-related startups. He is a founding member of the Bitcoin Foundation and helped introduce Bitcoin to China.
As of January 2023, his estimated net worth is around ฿335,000 Bitcoin or $650 million at current prices.
How Roger Ver built his Net Worth
Ver was born on January 27, 1979, in San Jose, California. His family moved to the United States when he was three years old and settled in Silicon Valley. After graduating from San Jose State University with a degree in computer science, Ver started a few successful businesses in the tech industry.
In early 2011, Ver heard about Bitcoin for the first time and was immediately enthusiastic about the potential of the new digital currency. He began investing heavily in Bitcoin-related startups and became one of the largest holders of Bitcoin.
In July 2017, Ver announced that he had sold all of his Bitcoin and was instead investing exclusively in Bitcoin Cash, a fork of the Bitcoin blockchain. As of February 2018, Ver is estimated to own around ฿335,000 worth of Bitcoin Cash. You can see the price of BCH/BTC below for perspective.
Roger Ver CoinFlex Controversy
Roger Ver and CoinFlex, a large crypto exchange based in the United States, have recently engaged in a public battle after claims by CoinFlex CEO that Mr. Ver owes their company a significant amount of money. This came after the recent crypto crash, which resulted in Roger Ver failing to meet his margin call after his positions on the exchanges were liquidated.
This controversy has put into question just how large Roger Ver's net worth is because he was not able to meet a debt of $47 million on the exchange. Mr Ver has denied these claims and is pending further action.
Interesting Facts
Mr Ver served 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to selling explosives (fireworks) without a license. Ver was charged with selling over 14 pounds of fireworks on Ebay and sentenced to 14 months in federal prison, where he only served 10. You can learn more about his prison experience in his documentary about being tortured in a US federal jail.
Final Thoughts
Roger Ver is a controversial figure in the cryptocurrency space and his net worth remains unclear. His early investments in Bitcoin-related startups have made him one of the richest people in the crypto world, but recent controversies have put into question just how large his net worth actually is. Regardless, it's clear that Mr Ver has made a substantial contribution to the crypto world and is one of the most influential figures in the space.
I fell into crypto during the 2017 mania and have been around ever-since. I now write, research and publish my own reports on the digital asset ecosystem.
