{"id":"jean-louis-van-der-velde","hidden":false,"ipfs":"Qmc95mVMbGTiK4F7jkoKDg5GimvmwgU5449n9S3GQwxqQT","language":"en","transactionHash":"0xf243be4f1292d09dff53ca3d7f39b3437c7b48b3505e8530b865081390648484","created":"2023-02-03T15:47:28.514Z","updated":"2026-08-17T02:42:26.787Z","title":"Jean-Louis van der Velde","summary":"Jean-Louis van der Velde is a Dutch technologist and entrepreneur who co-founded Bitfinex and served as Tether’s CEO. He remains CEO of Bitfinex.","content":"**Jean-Louis van der Velde**, also known as **JL van der Velde**, is a Dutch technologist and entrepreneur who co-founded and serves as Chief Executive Officer of [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) exchange [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex). He formerly served as Chief Executive Officer of [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) and became an adviser to the company in December 2023.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-2652e1da-fa22-4e3b-9d57-7134af7a9a09)​[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-f3361a47-6a7d-4ce2-aca7-8dd721409df7)​[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-3bbc3c44-4b7f-4331-bf7d-9b0d05c73b43)​[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-0af46755-f29b-4c8b-8732-34dd62bcfe33) Forbes identified van der Velde as the wealthiest billionaire from the Netherlands on its 2026 country-by-country ranking.[\\[12\\]](#cite-id-d4ab01fc-7599-4e22-a10a-861a4a9f261f) \n\n## Early Life & Education\n\nVan der Velde left the Netherlands in 1985 to study in Taiwan and has lived in Asia since then. According to [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex)'s executive profile, he attended National Taiwan Normal University from 1985 to 1988.[[1]](#cite-id-2652e1da-fa22-4e3b-9d57-7134af7a9a09) \n\nVan der Velde speaks five languages and has more than three decades of experience spanning the technology, finance, and fintech sectors. Before becoming involved in [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency), he co-founded several information-technology companies in Asia, with work covering areas including hardware design, software development, embedded systems, video streaming, IPTV, digital television, web applications, and digital marketing.[[1]](#cite-id-2652e1da-fa22-4e3b-9d57-7134af7a9a09)[[5]](#cite-id-b52b941d-68b5-4162-bbe8-5e0347c4b360) \n\n## Career\n\nBefore joining [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex), van der Velde held management roles in technology, distribution, and manufacturing companies. [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex)'s profile states that he also served as an executive director of a Chinese automotive group and a Hong Kong-based venture-capital firm. During the dot-com era, he participated in technology conferences as a speaker on open-source technologies.\n\nVan der Velde has also been involved in academia. [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex) has described him as a lecturer at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and a guest lecturer at National Taiwan University, where he taught subjects related to [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) and regulation.[[1]](#cite-id-2652e1da-fa22-4e3b-9d57-7134af7a9a09) \n\n### Bitfinex\n\nVan der Velde joined [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex) in early 2013 as CEO and co-founder. [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex)'s executive profile states that he was involved in structuring the company's holding organization and in developing its approach to areas including fintech, data technologies, [anti-money laundering](https://iq.wiki/wiki/anti-money-laundering-aml) and [know-your-customer](https://iq.wiki/wiki/know-your-customer-kyc) procedures, banking relationships, and regulatory engagement.[[1]](#cite-id-2652e1da-fa22-4e3b-9d57-7134af7a9a09) \n\nAs of 2026, van der Velde remains Chief Executive Officer of [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex), according to both [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex)'s current leadership page and Bloomberg's executive profile.[[2]](#cite-id-f3361a47-6a7d-4ce2-aca7-8dd721409df7)[[3]](#cite-id-3bbc3c44-4b7f-4331-bf7d-9b0d05c73b43) \n\nDuring van der Velde's tenure as CEO, [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex) experienced a major security breach in August 2016 in which 119,754 [bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin-btc) were stolen from the exchange. U.S. authorities later identified Ilya Lichtenstein as the hacker. Lichtenstein pleaded guilty to money-laundering conspiracy charges in 2023 and was sentenced to five years in prison in November 2024.[[10]](#cite-id-fcee6fd2-99be-413e-b48d-f07305dd79f7) \n\n### Tether\n\nVan der Velde served as Chief Executive Officer of Tether, the company behind the USDT [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin), during much of the company's expansion into one of the largest businesses in the digital-asset industry.[[4]](#cite-id-0af46755-f29b-4c8b-8732-34dd62bcfe33)[[5]](#cite-id-b52b941d-68b5-4162-bbe8-5e0347c4b360) \n\nIn October 2023, [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) announced that [Paolo Ardoino](https://iq.wiki/wiki/paolo-ardoino) would succeed van der Velde as CEO beginning in December 2023. Van der Velde transitioned to an advisory role at Tether while retaining his position as CEO of [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex). Tether said that he would continue contributing to the company, particularly through his experience managing relationships with regulators.[[4]](#cite-id-0af46755-f29b-4c8b-8732-34dd62bcfe33) \n\nVan der Velde remained involved with Tether after the transition. In 2024, Forbes reported that Tether's ownership structure had not changed following Ardoino's appointment and that van der Velde continued to serve as an adviser.[[7]](#cite-id-3a0ee4ca-0b13-475e-90e9-42918ebb3458) \n\nTether and [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex) are closely affiliated companies with overlapping ownership and, historically, overlapping management. U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission documents concerning the companies have described them as sharing common ownership, leadership, employees, and operational resources.[[8]](#cite-id-da749aa3-c695-4a66-a736-723fb05c4c7a) \n\n### Regulatory Matters Involving Tether and Bitfinex\nVan der Velde led [Tether](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) and [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex) during periods in which both companies faced regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings in the United States.\n\nIn February 2021, the Office of the New York Attorney General reached an agreement with iFinex, Tether, and related entities following an investigation into the companies' reserve representations, movement of funds between Tether and [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex), and their activities in New York. The agreement required the companies to discontinue trading activity with New Yorkers, undertake additional reporting and transparency measures, and pay $18.5 million in penalties.[[9]](#cite-id-310d7548-fd91-480f-a872-75e7bb330b4d) \n\nIn October 2021, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ordered Tether entities to pay a $41 million civil monetary penalty. In a separate order, it required [Bitfinex](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitfinex) entities to pay a $1.5 million civil monetary penalty for illegal off-exchange retail commodity transactions with U.S. persons and related violations.[[8]](#cite-id-da749aa3-c695-4a66-a736-723fb05c4c7a) \n\nThe New York and CFTC proceedings cited above were enforcement actions against the relevant corporate entities. The cited settlements did not impose a personal civil penalty on van der Velde.[[8]](#cite-id-da749aa3-c695-4a66-a736-723fb05c4c7a)[[9]](#cite-id-310d7548-fd91-480f-a872-75e7bb330b4d) \n\n## Tether Ownership & Wealth\n\nVan der Velde's wealth is closely associated with his ownership interest in Tether. Forbes estimated in 2024 that he owned approximately 20% of the company. More recent Forbes reporting has estimated his stake at approximately 19%, placing his ownership at roughly one-fifth of Tether.[\\[5\\]](#cite-id-b52b941d-68b5-4162-bbe8-5e0347c4b360)​[\\[7\\]](#cite-id-3a0ee4ca-0b13-475e-90e9-42918ebb3458) \n\nVan der Velde first appeared on Forbes' annual [World](https://iq.wiki/wiki/world)'s Billionaires ranking in 2024, when the publication estimated his net worth at $3.9 billion.[\\[11\\]](#cite-id-956b21bc-f00e-441d-aec5-535334667ca4) \n\nOn Forbes' 2026 World's Billionaires list, published in March 2026, van der Velde was ranked No. 53 globally, with an estimated net worth of $38 billion. Forbes attributed his wealth primarily to his interest in Tether.[\\[5\\]](#cite-id-b52b941d-68b5-4162-bbe8-5e0347c4b360)​[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-31fb97d1-16c6-4b44-95f2-3e00617660ef) \n\nForbes also identified van der Velde as the wealthiest billionaire from the Netherlands on its 2026 country-by-country ranking.[\\[12\\]](#cite-id-d4ab01fc-7599-4e22-a10a-861a4a9f261f) \n\nIn its 2026 Quote 500, Quote ranked van der Velde No. 1 for the first time, displacing Heineken heiress Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken. The annual ranking estimated his wealth at €26 billion (about US$29.1 billion), based its calculation on a 15% Tether stake, and described the estimate as conservative. Quote limits the ranking to Dutch nationals and confirmed van der Velde’s Dutch citizenship in summer 2026.[\\[15\\]](#cite-id-qe9cb86hif)​[\\[16\\]](#cite-id-ti983tbek4)​[\\[17\\]](#cite-id-akyk4y0k91) Quote’s figure is a publication-specific estimate, distinct from the Forbes and Bloomberg estimates above.\n\n### Ownership Records\n\nAn August 7, 2026 investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reported that records it reviewed indicated [Giancarlo Devasini](https://iq.wiki/wiki/giancarlo-devasini) arranged to transfer at least 55% of his Tether Holdings shares to van der Velde in early 2016. Ownership records from around 2018 showed van der Velde with about 15% and Devasini with roughly 43%. ICIJ reported that filings it reviewed showed both men appearing together in mid-2024; van der Velde was absent from filings beginning in early 2025, while Devasini was described in those filings as having more than 50% voting interest.[\\[14\\]](#cite-id-mt2t7dn4qz)​\n\nForbes' estimate of his stake is approximately 20%. Bloomberg's Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at $16.1 billion on October 23, 2026, while Forbes' live profile showed $38 billion as of October 28, 2026. Forbes' $38 billion estimate for its 2026 annual list was published in March 2026.[\\[5\\]](#cite-id-b52b941d-68b5-4162-bbe8-5e0347c4b360)​[\\[13\\]](#cite-id-ptqgjnvtbt)​[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-31fb97d1-16c6-4b44-95f2-3e00617660ef)​","recentActivity":"{\"items\":[{\"id\":\"1556a0f4-fdee-46b5-b7f7-ed227bad90a4\",\"title\":\"Jean-Louis van der Velde\",\"description\":\"Jean-Louis van der Velde is a technologist and entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in the fintech industry. 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