It’s been an eventful year for Steve Witkoff. The 69-year-old New York real estate developer tapped by President Donald Trump as his Middle East envoy in November 2024 hit the ground running in 2025 with a ceasefire in Gaza, following it up with efforts to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine and then a nuclear deal with Iran. Last June, he became “special envoy for peace missions,” reflecting his wider sphere of responsibility.

It’s been a mixed bag on the diplomatic front: Despite achieving a new ceasefire in Gaza last October, Russia and Ukraine are no closer to a peace agreement than they were under Joe Biden, and the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February, launching a war that’s still ongoing.

But on the personal front, it’s been a very lucrative year. While he was jetting around the world from Miami and Moscow to Israel and Oman, his fortune jumped 15% to $2.3 billion, up from an estimated $2 billion when he started working for the government. That was largely thanks to his investments in crypto firm World Liberty Financial, which his sons Zach and Alex cofounded with Trump’s sons Don Jr., Eric and Barron. Forbes estimates that the Witkoffs pocketed $130 million from sales of $WLFI crypto tokens. He and his sons also sold about half of their stake in World Liberty to Aryam Investment, a firm backed by Emirati royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for an estimated $48 million (post-tax), in a transaction first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Representatives for Witkoff did not respond to........

© Forbes