HBO promises to reveal the identity of the creator of Bitcoin – a documentary about Satoshi Nakamoto will be released on October 8

Next week, the American channel HBO will air a documentary film directed by Cullen Hoback – the authors of the film claim that they were able to establish the identity of the creator of Bitcoin, known under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

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The largest cryptocurrency to date was created in 2009. It works on a decentralized registry – blockchain. Today, Bitcoin is a store of value for those who are convinced that traditional money is constantly depreciating; a means of speculation for outsiders of traditional financial markets; and a means of payment for illegal goods and services, including drugs, cyber fraud and murder. Bitcoin has powerful supporters, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk; Today, cryptocurrency is a new asset class worth trillions of dollars, and even central banks are considering it as a potential competitor to their systems.

The exposure of Satoshi Nakamoto threatens to raise difficult questions for him, including accusations of complicity in crimes in which Bitcoin was used. The creator of the cryptocurrency himself is estimated to control about 1.1 million bitcoins, which are currently valued at $66 billion; although it is not clear whether he has access to encryption keys and these tools. Interestingly, as the film’s release date approaches, for the first time since 2009, the movement of several large wallets of the “Satoshi era” was recorded – in two weeks, 250 bitcoins worth about $15 million were withdrawn from them. They are not directly connected with the creator of Bitcoin, but the funds they have been on them since the very first days of Bitcoin, when the cryptocurrency was worth almost nothing; their owners are the first associates of Satoshi Nakamoto.

The real name of the person hiding under this pseudonym remains one of the biggest mysteries of recent years. After the publication of the Bitcoin white paper on October 31, 2008, someone under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto helped the system gain fame, operating primarily through forums and email. His latest message is a call to the creators of the Wikileaks website not to use Bitcoin, as it could destroy the young cryptocurrency. In 2016, Australian cryptographer Craig Steven Wright declared himself the creator of Bitcoin; it got to the point that he sued anyone who questioned this statement. But in March this year, the UK High Court ruled that Wright was not Nakamoto.

The most popular suspects include the late software engineer Hal Finney, systems engineer Dorian Nakamoto, scientist Nick Szabo, and Hashcash inventor Adam Back. Many in the Bitcoin community have rejected attempts to identify Satoshi Nakamoto, citing his right to privacy. And without accompanying evidence, and primarily the transfer of funds from wallets belonging to him, any statements are just speculation.