It's funny how there is so much chatter about Bitcoin and it's ever increasing value, and yet we know virtually nothing about the man, woman or group who designed the cryptocurrency. Satoshi Nakamoto is the moniker used by this enigmatic 'person' but we have no idea who they are or where they're from.
There are many rumours about who it could be, but at this stage, the only thing that we really know is that they are sitting on quite the fortune.
Credit: PA
Sergio Demian Lerne posted in 2013 that, after extensive research, he concluded that Satoshi has nearly a million Bitcoins in their possession (however the specific number is very much debated). In today's terms, that bank account would be worth £13.31 billion ($17.74 billion).
That puts this mysterious person in the same wealth bracket as media proprietor Anne Cox Chambers, Brazillian banker Jospeh Safra and American business magnate Paul Allen.
Saxo Bank has issued its Outrageous Predictions for next year and one of those estimates that Bitcoin could be worth £45,000 ($60,000) each. Yes, each. But at the end of the day, the virtual currency has defied expectations in the past to sit where it is now, so who knows how high its value could rise.
If it hits the £66,000 ($88,000) mark, then Satoshi will surpass Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos and become the richest person on the planet. Not bad at all. But because there's a finite number of Bitcoins available to be mined, the vale could soar well into the six-figure mark because there's such a small supply.
If that happens then Satoshi could become the world's first trillionaire.
However, one person on an online forum warns that could be a disaster for Bitcoin, writing: "If Satoshi starts dumping, then the market will definitely crash. If the public believe that Satoshi has lost faith in BTC then everyone is going to want to sell too. It is like putting a gun to the head of his own child and pulling the trigger."
There have been at least four people that have been named or have named themselves as Satoshi Nakamoto.
An Aussie bloke called Craig Steven Wright certainly came to the forefront of suspected identities after a 2015 Wired article claimed he 'either invented bitcoin or is a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did'.
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The day after that article, nearly a dozen police raided Wright's Ryde home, but they later confirmed that wasn't related to the speculation of his Bitcoin roots.
A Gizmodo story also alleged that Satoshi Nakamoto was a joint pseudonym for Craig and computer forensics analyst David Kleiman - but, again, there was still no concrete proof it was him.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the currency reaches its peak and whether Satoshi will cash in their chips and enjoy some time off.
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Sources: Business Insider, Wired, Sergio Demian Lerne
Topics: Bitcoin, News, jeff bezos, Interesting, Technology, bill gates