The masterminds behind Forbes' richest people list are at it again, this time sifting through entrepreneurs attacking the latest craze — cryptocurrency.
In the cryptocurrency space, fortunes can be made in minutes — and destroyed just as quickly. Take bitcoin, for example, which saw its highest valuation at nearly $19,000 this past December. The flagship digital coin has since plummeted roughly 70 percent, and the global cryptocurrency market has lost almost $550 billion in just under a month.
However, with so many applications of the coin's underlying technology known as blockchain, alternate digital currencies have sprung up, each serving their own, unique purposes.
Here are Forbes' top five picks for the richest people in cryptocurrency.
1. Chris Larsen, co-founder of Ripple: $7.5 billion to $8 billion estimated crypto net worth
2. Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum and founder of Consensys: $1 billion to $5 billion estimated crypto net worth
3. Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance: $1.1 billion to $2 billion estimated crypto net worth
4. Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, co-founders of Winklevoss Capital: $900 million to $1.1 billion estimated crypto net worth
5. Matthew Mellon, individual investor: $900 million to $1 billion estimated crypto net worth
Click here to view the full list.