15 лет таинственного исчезновения Сатоши Накамото: как биткоин стал финансовым феноменом Translation: 15 Years of Satoshi Nakamotos Mysterious Disappearance: How Bitcoin Became a Financial Phenomenon

On December 12, 2010, the creator of the first cryptocurrency, known by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, made their final post on the BitcoinTalk forum.

In this concluding message, he addressed the technical measures needed to safeguard the network against DoS attacks and introduced an update for Bitcoin version 0.3.19.

“There’s still much to be done regarding DoS, but before delving into more complex issues, and if needed, I am preparing a quick build… this is version 0.3.19,” said Nakamoto at the time.

Although his activity on the forum ceased, Nakamoto continued to exchange private messages with developers of the digital currency, including Gavin Andresen, for several more months.

In one of his last letters from April 2011, he requested not to portray him as a «mysterious figure.» To another correspondent, he mentioned that he had “moved on to other things.”

Many researchers link Nakamoto’s eventual departure to Andresen’s public announcement about delivering a presentation at the CIA headquarters. The potential attention from U.S. intelligence agencies could have been a decisive factor for someone who valued anonymity.

The identity of Bitcoin’s creator remains a mystery. One of the major intrigues in recent years was the release of an HBO film titled Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery. The creators claimed they had identified the individual behind the Nakamoto persona.

Ultimately, they named Peter Todd, who immediately denied such speculation.

Since Nakamoto’s disappearance over a decade and a half ago, Bitcoin has evolved from an experimental protocol into a global financial asset with a market capitalization of $1.8 trillion.

As of the time of writing, the first cryptocurrency is trading around $92,100. The latest historical high was recorded at $126,080 in October 2025.

Currently, digital gold has gained popularity among Wall Street giants. A pivotal moment was the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. in January 2024. Since then, these instruments have attracted $57.8 billion, accumulating 6.5% of the total coin supply.

More than 100 public companies have added the asset to their reserves. Since January 2023, these organizations have increased their Bitcoin exposure by 448%. The volume of coins on their balance sheets has grown from 197,000 BTC to 1.08 million BTC.

Bitcoin’s infrastructure continues to develop actively. The network has seen the emergence of decentralized finance and even layer two solutions like Lightning Network and Stacks.

It’s worth noting that in December, a statue of Nakamoto was erected at the New York Stock Exchange. The piece was created by Italian artist Valentina Piccioni.