Vitalik Buterin Sells Billions in Meme Coins, Continues Charity Pattern

According to on-chain analytics platform Onchain Lens, Buterin’s recent transactions involved selling 150 billion PUPPIES tokens for 28.58 ETH ($114,480) and 1 billion ERC20 tokens for $13,889 USDC. These assets, like many others in Buterin’s portfolio, were sent to him unsolicited by meme coin teams and community members seeking visibility through association with the Ethereum founder. This practice dates back to 2021 when Shiba Inu founder Ryoshi sent Buterin 500 trillion SHIB tokens, representing half of the meme coin’s total supply at the time.

Buterin’s handling of the SHIB tokens set a precedent that he has maintained consistently since. He burned 450 trillion SHIB tokens by sending them to a dead wallet, effectively removing them from circulation, while donating the remaining 50 trillion tokens to support COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts. This approach has become Buterin’s standard operating procedure for all meme coins he receives, with the Ethereum founder typically selling these assets and donating the proceeds to charitable causes.

Buterin has been transparent about his preferences regarding these unsolicited token transfers. Last year, he explicitly stated that he would prefer if these coins were sent directly to charity rather than to his wallet. He further advised community members to consider establishing Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) to involve community members directly in decision-making processes, emphasizing that the ideal outcome for meme coins would be for them to become ‘maximally positive-sum for the world.’

Despite Buterin’s clear intentions, the practice of sending meme coins to his wallet continues, largely because these transfers serve as powerful marketing tools for emerging tokens. Buterin’s 2021 actions with SHIB tokens undoubtedly contributed to Shiba Inu’s dramatic rise to prominence. His decision to burn the majority of the tokens coincided with SHIB’s legendary price surge, which saw the meme coin reach its current all-time high of $0.00008845.

The relationship between Buterin’s wallet activity and meme coin visibility creates an interesting dynamic in the cryptocurrency space. While Buterin consistently converts these assets to support charitable causes, the initial transfer to his wallet often generates significant attention for the tokens involved. This creates a paradox where projects seeking exposure through association with the Ethereum founder ultimately see their tokens redirected to humanitarian efforts, regardless of their original intentions.

Arkham data reveals that Buterin’s public wallet still contains significant meme coin positions received from community members. His largest meme coin holding is currently Moodeng, with 30 billion tokens worth approximately $518,000. Despite these substantial meme coin positions, Buterin’s primary cryptocurrency holding remains Ethereum, with 240,000 ETH valued at just over $1 billion.

Buterin recently regained his on-chain billionaire status as Ethereum broke above the $4,000 threshold last month. ETH’s subsequent surge to new all-time highs briefly boosted Buterin’s wealth significantly, though the largest altcoin has since struggled to maintain stability above the psychologically important $4,000 level amid broader crypto market volatility. At the time of writing, Ethereum was trading around $4,200, showing a modest 2% increase over the previous 24 hours according to CoinMarketCap data.

The contrast between Buterin’s treatment of his core Ethereum holdings versus meme coins highlights his strategic approach to cryptocurrency management. While he maintains and benefits from his substantial ETH position, he consistently liquidates unsolicited meme coins for charitable purposes, demonstrating a clear distinction between his long-term investment strategy and his handling of what he apparently views as community-sent donations rather than personal assets.