This morning, a 50 BTC transaction with a UTXO from February 2009 was made, sending the Bitcoin community into a storm of speculation. Was it Satoshi who was moving the coins, or someone close to the original, mysterious creator of the first-ever cryptocurrency?
The discussion has brought back discussion as to who Satoshi actually could be. With who the cryptocurrency’s creator is once again a hot topic, we’re rounding up all of the usual suspects who are commonly thought to be the figure behind the pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto.
The Origins of Bitcoin
In early 2009, the first version of the Bitcoin protocol was released on Sourceforge coinciding with the mining of the Genesis block.
The Genesis block and the earliest blocks mined by early Bitcoin miners earned 50 BTC each.
This morning, 50 BTC moved associated with Bitcoin that was mined back in February 2009, just one month after the Genesis block was mined and added to the blockchain.
Related Reading | Blast From Bitcoin Past: Is Someone Close to Satoshi Moving 50 BTC From 2009?
The movements of funds have caused speculation to run wild across the cryptocurrency space. First, the community believed it could be Satoshi moving the coins. Next, others assert it must be someone associated with the creator of the cryptocurrency.
More rational crypto enthusiasts claim it is likely just an early Bitcoin miner and bears little significance in the overall grand scheme.
Whatever the meaning behind it or who the sender is, it has revived discussion about who the creator of Bitcoin may be.
And while we may never know who exactly Satoshi Nakamoto is or they are, here is a list of the most commonly accused or associated with being the creator of Bitcoin.
Meet The List of People Who Have Been Said to Be Satoshi Nakamoto
Craig Wright
Dr. Craig Wright has long laid claim to being the creator of Bitcoin. The Bitcoin SV frontman has been challenged to then move some of the BTC supply said to be held by the real Satoshi to prove the claims.
Wright has yet to access this Bitcoin. However, in a strange turn of events, the 50 BTC sent this morning has been tied to Wright in some way.
Court documents highlighting the wallet addresses owned by Wright include the early Bitcoin address that moved 50 BTC today.
This in no way proves Wright is Satoshi, or if he even owns the account. Wright is currently being accused of defrauding Dave Kleiman’s estate of a massive sum of Bitcoin and various intellectual property rights.
Paul Le Roux
Last year, a conspiracy theory surfaced involving a cartel boss programmer turned DEA informant.
The theory claimed that South African crime kingpin Paul Le Roux created Bitcoin as a way to launder money. Le Roux was not only a cartel