A new HBO documentary claims that the identity of Bitcoin's mysterious creator has been revealed. And the revelation could send shockwaves through cryptocurrency markets and beyond, and even into the U.S. presidential election given how Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump has courted Bitcoin enthusiasts, Politico reports.
The documentary is the latest effort from Emmy nominee Cullen Hoback, who has received critical acclaim for his series debunking the QAnon conspiracy theory “Q: Into the Storm.” It will be screened next Wednesday at 2 p.m. CET (Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET).
Bitcoin has become a financial phenomenon of the Internet age. Since its creation in 2009, the censorship-resistant cryptocurrency, which exists on a decentralized ledger called the blockchain, has become a store of value for those who believe traditional money is being systematically devalued; a means of speculation for those who feel excluded from conventional financial markets; and, not least, a popular means of paying for illicit goods and services such as drugs, cybercrime, and contract killings.
Backed by ardent supporters like Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, it has grown into a trillion-dollar asset class, reaching such scale that even central banks have been forced to view it as a potential competitor to their own systems.
The revelation that Satoshi Nakamoto is its supposed creator therefore threatens to raise a number of serious questions, not least about his potential complicity in Bitcoin-related crimes. It could also make him one of the richest people in the world: Satoshi himself is estimated to control around 1.1 million Bitcoins, but it is unclear whether he still has access to the cryptographic keys. If he did, his net worth would be currently estimated at $66 billion.