Satoshi falls in the wealthiest rankings: Bitcoin creator's fortune plummeted by 41 billion

Over the past month, the capital of the mysterious Bitcoin creator has experienced a dramatic decline — from $137 billion to $95.8 billion. This means that Satoshi Nakamoto has fallen out of the top 20 wealthiest people on the planet, уступing his place to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

From 11th to 20th place: a month-long decline story

A month ago, the situation looked very different. According to Arkham Intelligence, the total amount of Bitcoin owned by Satoshi was estimated at nearly $140 billion. This allowed him to hold the 11th spot among the world’s wealthiest billionaires — higher than Bill Gates himself, with his $104.4 billion.

However, a more than 30% drop in BTC price changed the entire picture. From a peak of $126,080 set in early October, the price fell to $87,281. As a result, Satoshi’s capital shrank by an impressive $41 billion in a short period.

Now, the documented volume of the creator’s Bitcoin, approximately 1.1 million BTC (according to Arkham Intelligence’s tracking via the so-called Patoshi Pattern), is valued much more modestly. Satoshi has slipped to 20th place in the global ranking, finally ceding his position to Microsoft’s.

Who is Satoshi Nakamoto and how was his wealth calculated

Satoshi Nakamoto is a pseudonym under which the Bitcoin technical document was published in 2008. Under this same name, the creator communicated on forums and via email. Despite years of attempts to uncover his true identity (including the well-known HBO documentary), no one has managed to convince the public that the right person has been found.

Cryptographers have determined that Satoshi owns about 1.1 million BTC, using analysis of the so-called Patoshi Pattern — a unique mining pattern discovered only in the earliest Bitcoin blocks. However, the actual wealth of the creator could differ significantly from this figure, as his possible non-Bitcoin assets are unknown.

Quantum computing as a new threat

Growing concerns about the development of quantum computers have led to interesting discussions in the ecosystem. Some analysts suggest that in the future, the quantum threat (the so-called Q-Day) could force Satoshi to step out of the shadows to protect the network.

Proposals have been made to freeze Satoshi’s Bitcoin as a preventive measure. Other cryptocurrency experts have suggested conducting a Bitcoin hard fork to protect the entire network from quantum attacks.

Joseph Chalom, co-founder of SharpLink Gaming, previously expressed an interesting theory: in his opinion, Satoshi might reveal himself at a moment when critical decisions are needed to protect the protocol from quantum computing. “In five or ten years, when the Bitcoin network requires protection from quantum computing, truly important decisions about standards and encryption will be made,” he noted in September.

Regardless of how accurate current estimates of the creator’s wealth are, one thing is clear: $95.8 billion is still a colossal fortune, and any future fluctuations in Bitcoin’s price will significantly influence Satoshi’s position in the global wealth ranking.