Devasini's $55 Billion Fortune Built on Cryptocurrency Empire

Giancarlo Devasini is an Italian entrepreneur and former plastic surgeon turned cryptocurrency executive. He has accumulated a net worth of $55 billion, making him one of the richest people in Italy.

Devasini's path to wealth began when he discovered Bitcoin in 2012. He became involved with Bitfinex, one of the oldest major cryptocurrency exchanges, and played a central role in building it. Devasini also emerged as the financial architect behind Tether, the company behind USDT, the world's dominant dollar-backed stablecoin.

Tether's economics have become extremely lucrative. Customers exchange dollars for USDT while Tether invests much of the money backing those tokens in interest-bearing assets, particularly short-term U.S. government securities. The company generated more than $13 billion in profit in 2024 and over $10 billion in 2025.

Devasini's early life was marked by a brief stint as a plastic surgeon before he turned to the computer-hardware business. He founded several companies, including Point-G Srl, which imported computer components from manufacturers in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan and distributed them throughout Europe.