Arc 23The Bitcoin Fortune Revealed
Zhao Chen kept Era Vanguard’s Tesla and Nvidia positions afloat through repeated purchases, collateral pledges, and SpaceX financing while short sellers and regulators scrutinized the fund. He ultimately disclosed that his fortune came from Bitcoin trading, leaving the story with the SEC filing public and Era Vanguard preparing another Nvidia amendment.
- Zhao Chen watched Tesla fall toward its liquidation threshold as short sellers attacked, then used Henglong share pledges and additional purchases to keep Era Vanguard’s position intact.
- Zhao Chen raised Era Vanguard’s Tesla stake to 26 million shares and its Nvidia holding to 94.1 million, then used a $1 billion SpaceX financing approval to buy still more Nvidia shares.
- The SEC investigated Era Vanguard’s funding, and Zhao Chen ordered a transparent response while arranging Henglong’s pledge announcement and promising the company annual compensation.
- Henglong’s board approved Zhao Chen’s compensation commitment, and Zhao Chen disclosed that he controlled Era Vanguard and had invested its funds in Tesla, Nvidia, and SpaceX.
- Era Vanguard’s SEC filing identified Zhao Chen as its ultimate controller, making his holdings and rising wealth widely known.
- When the SEC asked about cryptocurrency, Zhao Chen authorized the release of records showing that Bitcoin trading had generated $7.94 billion in net profits.
- Lin Shicheng submitted four volumes tracing Zhao Chen’s Bitcoin purchases, trades, liquidation, and transfers into Era Vanguard, after which Bloomberg and Reuters publicized the disclosed profits.