Jeffrey Epstein appears repeatedly in newly released “Epstein Files” records tied to bitcoin-adjacent institutions, investor circles, and internal debates.
The documents include a 2016 email where Epstein claimed he had spoken with “founders of Bitcoin,” while pitching a Sharia-compliant digital currency.
Epstein wrote in an October 2016 email cited by the files:
“I have spoken to some of the founders of Bitcoin who are very excited.”
Claimed ties to bitcoin ‘founders’
The email was sent during correspondence with Raafat Abdulla Saad Al Sabbagh, described as an advisor connected to the Saudi royal court.
Epstein proposed a regional Middle East currency and a Sharia-compliant digital currency “like bitcoin,” but the message did not name any bitcoin figures or show the idea moved beyond discussion.
MIT Media Lab and funding during a crisis
The files also tie Epstein to donations to MIT Media Lab during the period when its Digital Currency Initiative began funding Bitcoin Core developers after the Bitcoin Foundation’s collapse.
Emails referenced a small set of key developers and described using “gift funds” to move quickly.
Blockstream investment and Adam Back mention
Epstein also appears in early investment records for Blockstream.
A 2014 email from Blockstream co-founder Austin Hill said Epstein’s seed allocation was increased from $50,000 to $500,000.
In a separate 2014 exchange about Blockstream-linked cryptographer Adam Back, Epstein replied:
“I like him.”
Ripple, Stellar, and what the emails do not show
A July 31, 2014 email titled “Stellar isn’t so Stellar,” sent by Hill and copied to Epstein, criticized investor overlap with Ripple and Stellar.
Ripple’s former CTO David Schwartz commented on the broader release of documents on X:
“I hate to be a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this is just the tip of a giant iceberg.”
Schwartz also wrote that the circulated document was an email from Hill to Epstein and suggested similar views were likely shared with others.
Reports state that the released records show proximity and awareness, but no evidence Epstein was Satoshi Nakamoto, a bitcoin founder, a core developer, or exercised protocol control.
