Crypto tycoon Jean-Louis van der Velde tops Quote 500 as Netherlands' richest

A new name at the top

Jean-Louis van der Velde, born in Arnhem and 62 years old, takes first place in the 30th edition of the Quote 500, published on 27 October. Quote estimates his fortune at 26 billion euro, twice that of Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, who had held the top spot for years. The list is an estimate based on annual reports, Kadaster land records and other public sources. Van der Velde left the Netherlands in the 1980s, first for Taiwan and later Hong Kong, and built his wealth as CEO and shareholder of the crypto company Tether, whose stablecoin is by far the largest on the market. Volkskrant reports that his stake fell to 15 percent in 2018 and that it is unclear how many shares he still holds, while he now advises Tether and serves as CEO of the far less valuable exchange Bitfinex. For a long time it was unclear whether he still held a Dutch passport, which kept him off the list. Molenaar said Quote has since been able to confirm that he does.

Wealth at the top outpaces the economy

The combined fortune of the 500 richest Dutch people is just over 300 billion euro, up more than 10 percent from 273 billion a year earlier. NOS puts that total at roughly a quarter of the size of the Dutch economy. The number of billionaires rose from 52 to 56. Volkskrant notes that the economy grew 1.8 percent last year according to CBS, and that a fortune of at least 140 million euro is again needed to enter the list. Most sectors saw fortunes rise, while the valuations of fintech firms Adyen and Mollie fell. AD stresses that these figures are estimated, paper fortunes.

Previous list52

Current list56

Previous list

52

Current list

56

Data from the article text

AI entrepreneurs climb the list

Molenaar said AI entrepreneurs were added in greater numbers this year, and he described how quickly they can now reach the list.

“That can go really fast these days.”

Molenaar added that entrepreneurs in the sector can make the list within a year, a speed he called genuinely new. Pim de Witte, 31 and from Nijmegen, founded an AI company last year and enters the list as the youngest Dutch billionaire ever, with an estimated fortune of 1.1 billion euro. He has said that his company, General Intuition, which builds AI models, is valued at 6.2 billion euro. Formula One driver Max Verstappen saw his fortune grow more than 19 percent to 310 million euro.

Names on the list

Marisa and Claudia Melchers, with an estimated 3.15 billion euro, climb a few places to 10th. Marcel Boekhoorn, who finances the Nijmegen football club NEC, ranks 13th with an estimated fortune of 2.9 billion euro, and Quote estimates he invested 40 to 50 million euro in the club. Raymond Cloosterman, founder of Rituals, slipped to 11th, but his fortune passed 3 billion euro. Jobien, Co and Koen de Heus, the fourth generation of the feed group Koninklijke De Heus in Ede, rose two places to 18th with 2.35 billion euro.

Jean-Louis van der Velde26

Marisa and Claudia Melchers3.15

Marcel Boekhoorn2.9

Jobien, Co and Koen de Heus2.35

Pim de Witte1.1

Max Verstappen0.31

Jean-Louis van der Velde

26 billion euro

Marisa and Claudia Melchers

3.15 billion euro

Marcel Boekhoorn

2.9 billion euro

Jobien, Co and Koen de Heus

2.35 billion euro

Pim de Witte

1.1 billion euro

Max Verstappen

0.31 billion euro

Data from the article text

Albert ten Brinke, ranked 22nd, handed the leadership of Ten Brinke Group in Varsseveld to his son Arjen, and he explained the decision this way.

“Many older executives cling to their seats, but fortunately I have no problem with that.”

Women remain scarce on the list

Only 44 of the 500 are women, which Molenaar called "bedroevend laag" (dismally low). He said the list is largely made up of older white men, and that this is largely true. Among the 100 richest Dutch people under 40, only four are women. Molenaar hopes that will change, and Volkskrant reports that Quote already sees women among the young self-made millionaires who are expected to grow into the Quote 500.