The release of the Epstein files on January 30 did just that sent shockwaves through the financial and technical world.
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a whopping 3.5 million pages of documents, providing a preview of how Jeffrey Epstein maintained a shadow network of influence long after his 2008 conviction.
One of the most bizarre revelations is his 2016 attempts to broker a deal involving the “founding fathers of Bitcoin” and a new Middle Eastern currency.
The Sharia Currency Attempt
Deep in the DOJ dumpspecifically in “Dataset 9,” researchers found a series of emails from October 2016.
In these messages, Epstein pitched a financial project to the Saudi royal family and leading financiers.
He proposed a fiat currency called ‘the Sharia’, designed for internal use within the Muslim world.
The proposal was for a physical coin stamped “In God We Trust,” which mimicked the U.S. dollar but was tailored to Islamic religious sensibilities.
The shocking twist, however, was the backend technology.
Epstein proposed a digital version of this coin, powered by blockchain, and claimed that he was in direct contact with the “founders of Bitcoin,” who were very enthusiastic about the project.
Multiple Satoshi Theory
Furthermore, Epstein’s use of the plural “founders” has revived the long-running debate over the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.
For years, crypto enthusiasts have argued that Bitcoin [BTC] may have been created by a group rather than by a single individual.
While Epstein’s emails do not provide definitive proof, they show that he actively tried to position himself as a gatekeeper for the anonymous creators of the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
In addition to the sensational emails, the files also reveal how Epstein tried to exert influence in more concrete ways.
Between 2013 and 2017, he donated approximately $525,000 to the MIT Media Lab, directing the money to the Digital Currency Initiative (DCI).
After the Bitcoin Foundation went bankrupt in 2014, the DCI became the main paying master for several Bitcoin Core developers.
Although Epstein never controlled Bitcoin’s decentralized code, the data makes that clear.
They also show that he operated in institutional circles where important discussions about the future of technology took place.
Is crypto in danger?
But the breather here is that, despite the alarming headlines, crypto faces no real threat.
The 2026 DOJ release emphasizes Epstein’s exaggerated sense of influence rather than any real flaw in blockchain technology.
Needless to say, Bitcoin operates as an open-source system in which thousands of independent developers actively review and maintain it.
This structure prevents a single donor, regardless of wealth or fame, from secretly changing the code or installing a backdoor.
For example, the episode shows how power-seeking figures often try to attach themselves to emerging technologies, only to discover that they cannot control them.
Final thoughts
- Claims of knowing Bitcoin’s creators matter less than why such claims had merit in elite financial circles.
- The failed ‘Sharia’ currency shows how people often misunderstand what new technologies are actually designed for.