"Satoshi Nakamoto's Bitcoin Fortune Tops Bill Gates"

Recent onchain research has revealed that Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, may be wealthier than Bill Gates. According to Conor Grogan, director at Coinbase, Nakamoto's Bitcoin holdings could be valued at over $108 billion, surpassing the net worth of the Microsoft co-founder.

Grogan's findings, shared on X (formerly Twitter), suggest that Nakamoto owns approximately 1.096 million BTC. This revelation has sparked conversations about the anonymity and impact of Bitcoin's creator, as well as the broader perceptions of cryptocurrency wealth distribution. As of now, Bill Gates ranks as the 16th richest person globally, with a net worth estimated at $106 billion, a position that Nakamoto may soon eclipse if the onchain data holds true.

The identification of these assets is supported by a study from Arkham Intelligence, which has employed advanced onchain tracking techniques to pin down Bitcoin addresses possibly linked to Nakamoto. This research demonstrates how blockchain analysis can unveil previously opaque financial history, further redefining our understanding of wealth in the digital age.

Centralized exchange Kraken may house valuable information regarding Satoshi Nakamoto's identity. Grogan pointed out that Nakamoto's last transactions on a centralized exchange were conducted through Cavirtex, a Canadian exchange that Kraken acquired in 2016. There is a chance that Kraken has information on the true identity behind Satoshi if they maintained any KYC information on this wallet. However, Grogan also suggested that any existing data on Nakamoto should be treated with caution and advised the exchange operator to delete the data, should it exist at all.

Nakamoto's last known interactions with centralized exchanges reportedly date back to 2014. However, at that time, Know Your Customer (KYC) verification was not universally enforced across the cryptocurrency market. Kraken was one of the early adopters of KYC processes, introducing requirements for users in 2014, but the full implementation across its platform occurred only in 2017 and 2018. Despite this, several gaps remain regarding Cavirtex's KYC practices prior to its acquisition, adding another layer of complexity to identifying Nakamoto.

The revelation regarding Satoshi Nakamoto's extensive Bitcoin holdings presents a curious intersection of wealth, anonymity, and technological