On Sunday, we reported that the “real” Satoshi Nakamoto was about to reveal himself as the true inventor of Bitcoin.
A company called Satoshi Nakamoto Renaissance Holdings claimed that this would happen in three instalments. It would include his real name, why he hasn’t moved any of his 980,000 Bitcoin, country of origin, and his plans for “a Bitcoin renaissance”.
And so to the big announcement…Bilal Khalid is Satoshi. He hails from Pakistan, resides in the UK and has changed his legal forename and surname to James Caan. In an online post he says: “I am dedicating my comeback to Steve Jobs, a legend of our times who also thought differently and changed people’s lives. His name is synonymous with inspiration.”
Many in the crypto community are unimpressed, however.
For those following along at home, here's the public WHOIS info from thebcci<dot>net in 2008. pic.twitter.com/dyVlzdgB2Q
— Ric “el pony esponjoso” (@fluffypony) August 18, 2019
Of course, an easy way to settle the whole Satoshi debate is to use a digital signature only the real creator would know. No one has so far, including Caan. A lot is potentially riding on this. The Bitcoin creator likely owns about $10 billion Bitcoins based on current prices, which would greatly influence the market.
Caan claims that his Bitcoins were lost after a computer malfunction lead to a loss of his computer hard drive which stored them. “My full legal name is James Bilal Khalid Caan. But I will forever be known as Satoshi Nakamoto,” his online post concludes.
File under ‘damp squib’, we say.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. We do not give advice on financial products.