The search for Satoshi Nakamoto: Peter Todd aside, who else could be Bitcoin's elusive creator?

HBO's newest documentary, Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, made a startling revelation: it claimed that Peter Todd was, allegedly, Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.

That catapulted the 39-year-old Canadian cryptocurrency developer into the spotlight as one of several people who are believed to be the maker of the world's first and largest cryptocurrency.

Mr Todd has denied this, simply writing on X that “I'm not Satoshi”, while also taking potshots at documentary director Cullen Hoback, both on social media platform X and in the media.

Mr Todd also told CNN – which shares a parent company with HBO, Warner Bros Discovery – that the “irresponsible” documentary has put his life in danger, accusing of Hoback of “playing up a few coincidences into something much more. Ironic really: that’s a hallmark of conspiracy thinking.”

The true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has been a topic of speculation for quite some time, with no definitive evidence to confirm it. It is also plausible that the pseudonym may represent a group.

Here are the three individuals most frequently believed to be the inventor of Bitcoin before Mr Todd's involvement in the discussion.

Dorian Nakamoto

Arguably, the most high-profile episode of in the search for Satoshi Nakamoto was the case of Dorian Nakamoto. The Japanese-American worked for major corporations and the US military and, perhaps significantly, has the birth name “Satoshi Nakamoto”.

Mr Nakamoto was thrust into the spotlight in 2014, following a Newsweek report that claimed he was the Bitcoin maker. He was 64 years old at the time, a retired physicist and engineer.

The Newsweek reporter who wrote the exposé, Leah Goodman, drove to Mr Nakamoto's home in Los Angeles, escorted by police officers. She ambush-interviewed him while he was leaving his home, responding that “I am no longer involved in that and I cannot discuss it”.

Eventually, he denied being Bitcoin's creator, saying he misunderstood Goodman's questions. Even the Bitcoin community was unconvinced by the report, while also condemning the invasion of Mr Nakamoto's privacy. Supporters even raised money to help cover the cost of his troubles.

Craig Wright

Dorian Nakamoto and other individuals suspected of being Satoshi Nakamoto have opted to maintain their silence. However, this is not the case with Craig Wright, the Australian scientist who has emerged as one of the loudest contenders for the title of Bitcoin creator.

This time, it was Wired that published an article in late 2015, claiming to have “obtained the strongest evidence yet of Satoshi Nakamoto's true identity”. Mr Wright was more than happy to engage, saying he was involved with Bitcoin “for a long time”, but just chose to maintain a low profile.

Wired's basis for the story was leaked emails and transcripts, the latter of which included Mr Wright telling tax officials he had “been running Bitcoin since 2019", and a “cryptocurrency paper” on Mr Wright's blog, published some months before the Bitcoin white paper surfaced.

However, the crypto community was sceptical about his claims, prompting Wired to publish a follow-up piece highlighting inconsistencies in Mr Wright's story. Despite this, he capitalised on his newfound fame to establish himself as a leading figure in the industry.

His adventure reached its apogee in March 2024, when a UK judge ruled that he was not Satoshi Nakamoto, consigning him to the ranks of so-called Faketoshis.

In July, Mr Wright was referred to UK prosecutors for investigation that could lead to charges of perjury and forgery.

Nick Szabo

When one pioneers a concept that serves as a precursor to Bitcoin, scrutiny as the creator may follow. This was the case for Nick Szabo, an American computer scientist and cryptographer.

He proposed the decentralised currency Bit Gold in 1998, a decade before Bitcoin came into existence, after introducing the term “smart contracts” in 1994, which would become the basis of today's blockchain sector.

Unlike Dorian Nakamoto and Mr Wright, the possibility of Mr Szabo being Satoshi Nakamoto was published in a book, Bitcoin: The Future of Money? written by Dominic Frisby, a British comedian. The reception to this notion, however, met with mixed reviews.

Fuelling further speculation was a study conducted by Aston University in Birmingham, which noted similarities between Szabo's writing style and that of the Bitcoin white paper.

Despite these findings, Mr Szabo has kept a low profile compared to other candidates for the Satoshi Nakamoto persona. His reserved nature has been likely to have contributed to the subdued discussion surrounding his potential role as the founder of Bitcoin.

Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14

Brentford v Arsenal
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Crystal Palace
Everton v Southampton
Leicester City v Wolves
Manchester United v Leeds United
Newcastle United v West Ham United
Norwich City v Liverpool
Tottenham v Manchester City
Watford v Aston Villa

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

How to avoid crypto fraud

Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

The bio

Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home

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Israelis hear the UAE's message against annexation

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri

Rating: 1/5

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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