The Vladimir Club is a term that refers to the elite group of cryptocurrency holders who own at least 1% of 1% of the maximum supply of a Bitcoin. The concept was first introduced in 2012 by a BitcoinTalk forum user named Vladimir, who suggested that owning 0.01% of Bitcoin was a good idea. Since then, the term has been applied to other cryptocurrencies as well, such as Binance Coin (BNB), Ethereum (ETH), and Cardano (ADA).
Why is the Vladimir Club important?
The Vladimir Club is important because it represents a significant level of wealth and influence in the cryptocurrency space. Members of the Vladimir Club are often considered as early adopters, visionaries, or whales who have a large stake in the future of their chosen coin. They may also have more voting power or governance rights in some decentralized platforms or protocols that use their coin as a native token.
Additionally, the Vladimir Club is a way to measure the scarcity and distribution of a cryptocurrency. The more members there are in the Vladimir Club, the less scarce and more evenly distributed the coin is. Conversely, the fewer members there are in the Vladimir Club, the more scarce and concentrated the coin is. For example, Bitcoin has a maximum supply of 21 million coins, which means that anyone who owns more than 2,100 BTC (0.01% of 21 million) is a member of the Bitcoin Vladimir Club. According to some estimates, there are only around 500 to 600 members of the Bitcoin Vladimir Club, which shows how scarce and valuable Bitcoin is.
How to join the Vladimir Club?
To join the Vladimir Club, one needs to own at least 1% of 1% of the maximum supply of a cryptocurrency. The maximum supply is the total number of coins that can ever be created or issued for a given coin. For example, BNB has a maximum supply of 200 million coins, which means that anyone who owns more than 20,000 BNB (0.01% of 200 million) is a member of the BNB Vladimir Club.
However, joining the Vladimir Club is not easy or cheap. The price of cryptocurrencies fluctuates constantly, which affects the value and affordability of joining the club. For instance, in 2012, when Bitcoin was worth around $11, one would need to invest $23,100 to join the Bitcoin Vladimir Club1. In late 2017, when Bitcoin reached its peak of nearly $20,000, one would need to invest $42 million to join the club1. As of April 2023, with Bitcoin trading around $60,000, one would need to invest $126 million to join the club.
Moreover, some cryptocurrencies have a dynamic or decreasing maximum supply, which makes joining the club more challenging over time. For example, BNB has a periodic coin burn mechanism that reduces its total supply until it reaches 100 million coins2. This means that the threshold for joining the BNB Vladimir Club will also decrease over time. Currently, one would need around $6 million to join the club (assuming BNB price is $300), but in the future, one may need more than $10 million to join the club (assuming BNB price is $500 and total supply is 100 million).
Conclusion
The Vladimir Club is a term that describes the exclusive group of cryptocurrency holders who own at least 1% of 1% of the maximum supply of a coin. The concept was originally applied to Bitcoin but has since been extended to other cryptocurrencies as well. The Vladimir Club is important because it reflects the wealth and influence of its members, as well as the scarcity and distribution of their chosen coin. Joining the Vladimir Club is not easy or cheap, as it requires a large amount of investment and may become more difficult over time due to price changes or supply reductions.