Bitcoin creator's fortune has nearly halved due to the price drop

The rapid decline in Bitcoin’s price over the past few weeks has led to a sharp decrease in the estimated wealth of its anonymous creator. According to the analytics platform Arkham Intelligence, if Satoshi Nakamoto were a real person holding all the Bitcoin attributed to him, his wealth would have dropped from approximately $137 billion a month ago to $95.8 billion today. This collapse in the creator’s assets occurred amid a general downturn in the cryptocurrency market, causing serious consequences not only for major industry players but also for the wealth of the mysterious founder of the first cryptocurrency.

How the Price Drop Changed the Wealth Ranking

The dramatic change in the Bitcoin creator’s wealth affected his position on the list of the world’s richest people. Just over a month ago, based on tracking Nakamoto’s assets through wallets with the characteristic Patoshi Pattern, his wealth was estimated at $137 billion. This would have placed the hypothetical owner in 11th place on the global wealth ranking, surpassing even Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, whose wealth at that time was less than $95 billion.

However, the situation has changed drastically. Bitcoin, which reached an all-time high of $126,080 in early October, subsequently fell more than 40%. As of early March 2026, the price dropped to $71,110, significantly below the levels seen a month earlier. This substantial decline in cryptocurrency value caused the estimated wealth of the Bitcoin creator to fall to $95.8 billion, placing him in 20th position on the global ranking. Now, Nakamoto is behind Bill Gates, who has $104.4 billion.

Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto and How Is His Wealth Measured?

Satoshi Nakamoto is a pseudonym used by an unknown individual or group who created revolutionary blockchain technology and the first cryptocurrency. When the white paper outlining the system’s core principles was published in 2008, the author operated under this name. All subsequent communication occurred via forums and email, maintaining the creator’s anonymity.

Experts have estimated Nakamoto’s Bitcoin holdings using a method called the Patoshi Pattern— a unique mining pattern found only in the earliest blocks of the network. Based on this analysis, researchers estimate that Nakamoto owns about 1.1 million Bitcoins, aligning with data tracked by Arkham Intelligence. However, it’s important to understand that the actual wealth of the creator may differ from this estimate, as no off-chain assets or non-Bitcoin assets linked to Nakamoto are known.

It should also be noted that attempts to uncover Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity have continued for many years. Even a landmark documentary by HBO last year failed to convince the public that the true identity of the creator has been found. The mysterious status of the founder remains unchanged.

Quantum Computing as an Existential Threat

In addition to market factors, interest in the creator’s wealth has increased amid discussions of technological challenges facing cryptography. The development of powerful quantum computers poses a potential threat to existing security systems, including the mechanisms underlying Bitcoin. This phenomenon is sometimes called Q-Day—the moment when quantum computing could break current cryptographic algorithms.

Some community members have proposed various solutions to this threat. One suggestion involves freezing a large amount of inactive Bitcoin held by Nakamoto, as these remain vulnerable to potential quantum attacks. Other experts advocate for a hard fork of the protocol to upgrade cryptographic standards across the network.

Could the Creator Come Out of the Shadows?

One of the most intriguing hypotheses from industry professionals is that Nakamoto’s wealth and technological challenges might force him to reveal his identity. Joseph Chalom, co-founder of SharpLink Gaming, which manages Ethereum treasury, suggested in an interview with Decrypt that this could happen within five to ten years.

Chalom expressed the view that when the Bitcoin network faces the need to defend against quantum computing, critical decisions regarding encryption standards and protocol updates will need to be made. He believes that at that point, discussions about a hard fork and the fate of numerous inactive wallets, including Nakamoto’s, could be considered. Such developments could theoretically motivate Nakamoto to disclose his identity to participate in crucial decisions that will determine the future of the entire network.

Thus, the current situation—where Nakamoto’s wealth has significantly decreased—highlights the importance of both market dynamics and technological risks facing the crypto ecosystem. Regardless of whether Nakamoto’s identity is ever revealed, his influence on the development of cryptocurrencies remains fundamental.