Satoshi Nakamoto's birthday: The founder of Bitcoin turns 50, still a $91 billion mystery

April 5, 2025 marks the 50th birthday of Satoshi Nakamoto—the mysterious figure behind Bitcoin. Although no one knows who Nakamoto really is, this date is taken from his old P2P Foundation records and has become an iconic day in cryptocurrency history. While there are some who claim to be Satoshi, no one knows whether he is still alive or has died.

Interestingly, April 5 was not chosen at random. It is the day the U.S. government banned private ownership of gold in 1933, an action that many believe inspired the design of Bitcoin as a decentralized alternative to state-controlled money. And in a quirky twist, the mining difficulty of Bitcoin adjusts after every 2,016 blocks, reversing the number 6102 from that 1933 order. Despite the tremendous success of Bitcoin, Nakamoto’s assets, estimated to be around 1,096 million BTC, have never been touched. That treasure is now worth over 91 billion dollars and has just been sitting there since 2010. Occasionally, people still send small amounts of BTC to those addresses, as a tribute or to cover their tracks, but there has been no movement from the original owner. An untouched fortune and an unsolved mystery For many years, many people have tried to uncover who Nakamoto really is. In 2024, a UK court dismissed the claims of Australian Craig Wright, calling his lawsuit “deliberately misleading.” A few months later, an HBO documentary drew attention by suggesting Canadian developer Peter Todd—who quickly denied it. Some even brought Jack Dorsey’s name into the mix, although there was no real evidence behind it.

The journey of Bitcoin began with a powerful message hidden in its first block: “The Chancellor on the brink of the second bailout for banks,” a newspaper headline from the 2009 financial crisis. That message set the tone for what Bitcoin represents: financial freedom and independence from traditional banking systems. Today, Bitcoin stands strong with a market capitalization of $1.6 trillion and a robust network still running on Nakamoto’s original framework. While the person behind it remains a mystery, the technology that he ( or they ) left continues to shape the future of finance. Happy 50th birthday, Satoshi, wherever you are.