Abisola SalahuCanada is home to more than 80 billionaires, spanning industries from cryptocurrency and e-commerce to media, convenience stores, and venture capital.
According to Forbes World’s Billionaires List, the wealthiest Canadians have seen dramatic shifts in fortune, with cryptocurrency magnates surging while some traditional family dynasties saw declines. This list ranks the ten richest people in Canada based on the most recent Forbes estimates.
Top 10 Richest People In Canada
1. Changpeng Zhao – $110 Billion
Changpeng Zhao, known as “CZ,” is the richest person in Canada and the only Canadian in the global top 100, ranking 17th worldwide. The former Binance CEO owns approximately 90 percent of the cryptocurrency exchange, which he founded in 2017 and built into the world’s largest.
His net worth nearly doubled from $62.9 billion the previous year, making him one of only 20 people globally in the “$100 billion club.” Zhao moved to Vancouver with his family in the late 1980s and studied computer science at McGill University. He spent four months in prison in 2024 for failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and was pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump in October.
2. Stuart Hoegner – $24.7 Billion
Stuart Hoegner ranks second among Canadian billionaires and 104th globally. The former general counsel for Tether Ltd. and Bitfinex owns approximately 13 percent of Tether, the world’s leading issuer of crypto stablecoins. His fortune has grown significantly as Tether’s stablecoin business has expanded.
3. Joseph Tsai – $13 Billion
Joseph Tsai, born in Taiwan, is the co-founder and chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. He ranks 223rd globally and third in Canada. Tsai is Alibaba’s second-largest shareholder and owns the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA’s New York Liberty. He holds Canadian citizenship.
4. Jim Pattison – $12 Billion
Jim Pattison, founder, chairman, and CEO of Jim Pattison Group, ranks fourth in Canada. At 97 years old, he oversees a sprawling conglomerate with more than 20 divisions spanning food, car dealerships, real estate, and entertainment.
His holdings include more than 50 percent of Canfor Corp. and entertainment assets such as Guinness World Records and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Pattison has pledged to donate his wealth to charity after his passing.
5. Sherry Brydson – $11.5 Billion
Sherry Brydson is Canada’s richest woman and fifth-richest person overall. She is one of six heirs to the Thomson Reuters fortune and holds the largest stake in the family’s media company at 23 percent.
The family also owns the Globe and Mail and holds partial ownership of the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets. Her net worth declined significantly from $16.7 billion the previous year.
6. Tobi Lutke – $10.7 Billion
Tobi Lutke is the co-founder and CEO of Shopify Inc., the e-commerce giant. He owns approximately six percent of the company, giving him a net worth of $10.7 billion and a global ranking of 302nd. Lutke grew up in Germany but now lives in Toronto.
7. David Cheriton – $9.8 Billion
David Cheriton, a Stanford University professor emeritus, is known as the “billionaire professor.” His fortune stems largely from an early $100,000 investment in Google, which grew into billions. He ranks 353rd globally and seventh in Canada.
Cheriton co-founded three companies with fellow billionaire Andreas von Bechtolsheim: Arista Networks, Granite Systems, and Kealia.
8. Alain Bouchard – $7.9 Billion
Alain Bouchard co-founded Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., which operates 17,000 convenience stores worldwide under banners including Circle K and Couche-Tard. He started with a single store in Quebec in 1980 and is now worth approximately $7.9 billion, ranking 461st globally.
9. Ling Tang – $7.5 Billion (Estimated)
Ling Tang is a pre-IPO investor in AppLovin, a marketing software and mobile game producer. Little is publicly known about Tang, who maintains a low profile despite her significant stake in the company.
10. Leonid Boguslavsky – $9.4 Billion (Estimated)
Leonid Boguslavsky is a venture capitalist with a fortune estimated at $9.4 billion. He ranks among the top ten richest Canadians according to some wealth trackers, though Forbes’ top ten list does not include him. His wealth comes primarily from technology and venture capital investments.
Comparison Table
| No. | Name | Net Worth (USD) | Global Rank | Source of Wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Changpeng Zhao | $110 Billion | 17 | Cryptocurrency exchange (Binance) |
| 2 | Stuart Hoegner | $24.7 Billion | 104 | Cryptocurrency (Tether) |
| 3 | Joseph Tsai | $13 Billion | 223 | E-commerce (Alibaba) |
| 4 | Jim Pattison | $12 Billion | 223 | Diversified conglomerate |
| 5 | Sherry Brydson | $11.5 Billion | 275 | Media (Thomson Reuters) |
| 6 | Tobi Lütke | $10.7 Billion | 302 | E-commerce (Shopify) |
| 7 | David Cheriton | $9.8 Billion | 353 | Technology (Google, Arista Networks) |
| 8 | Alain Bouchard | $7.9 Billion | 461 | Convenience stores (Couche-Tard) |
| 9 | Ling Tang | $7.5 Billion | 500+ | Mobile gaming (AppLovin) |
| 10 | Leonid Boguslavsky | $9.4 Billion | 383 | Venture capital investments |
Tips for Understanding Canadian Wealth
Canada’s billionaire list is notable for the dominance of cryptocurrency fortunes at the top, with Changpeng Zhao and Stuart Hoegner holding the first two spots.
This reflects the volatile but enormous wealth generated by digital assets.
The list also shows significant wealth declines among traditional family dynasties, with Sherry Brydson’s net worth dropping from $16.7 billion to $11.5 billion.
Many of Canada’s wealthiest individuals are immigrants or hold dual citizenship, including Zhao (born in China), Joseph Tsai (born in Taiwan), and Tobi Lutke (born in Germany).
Forbes’ estimates are calculated using stock prices and exchange rates as of a specific date and are subject to change.
Closing
Changpeng Zhao stands as Canada’s richest person by a wide margin, his $110 billion fortune making him the only Canadian in the global top 100.
The list reflects the outsized impact of cryptocurrency on Canadian wealth, with Zhao and Stuart Hoegner occupying the top two positions. Traditional fortunes in media, diversified conglomerates, and e-commerce round out the top ten, while figures like David Cheriton and Alain Bouchard represent the enduring value of early technology investments and retail empire building.
Note that all net worth figures are estimates based on Forbes’ methodology and are subject to change as market conditions and company valuations shift.