Versan Aljarrah, the founder of Black Swan Capitalist, has reignited debate about Jeffrey Epstein’s role in bitcoin by highlighting newly surfaced emails. These documents suggest Epstein was not only interested in Bitcoin from its early stages, but he actively sought help from Steve Bannon to shape U.S. crypto regulations and tax policies, framing crypto as both a domestic tax issue and a global concern that required Treasury Department action.
Epstein and Early Bitcoin Policy
The released emails, first flagged by Aljarrah, show Epstein reaching out to Steve Bannon in 2018 about Bitcoin tax and regulatory policy. Epstein portrayed crypto as a “worldwide” issue with serious implications, and urged coordinated international oversight. He even floated a voluntary tax form for cryptocurrency gains, signaling deep concern over how regulators would treat digital assets.
In 2024, I came across a report on Jeffrey Epstein having direct ties to Bitcoin and the push toward CBDCs. Now these new emails surface revealing that he's been linked to Bitcoin’s early development all along. Interesting how “coincidences” always show up right on schedule.
Funding Bitcoin Development via the MIT Media Lab
One of the more striking revelations: Epstein appears to have supported MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative (DCI), a program central to Bitcoin Core development. In emails, MIT’s Joichi Ito thanked Epstein for his financial help. According to one document, Epstein’s donations helped MIT attract key Bitcoin developers like Wladimir van der Laan and Cory Fields. Public reports vary, but some place the amount of Epstein-linked contributions as high as $7.5 million, including funds channeled through Leon Black. These connections raise concerns about whether Bitcoin’s technology was shaped by individuals with problematic backgrounds, potentially compromising the cryptocurrency’s integrity and security.
Elite Conversations at Epstein’s Manhattan Townhouse
The emails also shed light on a meeting at Epstein’s Manhattan residence. There, Brock Pierce — co-founder of Tether and early Bitcoin investor — reportedly discussed Bitcoin’s future with Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary. According to a draft New York Magazine article, Brock Pierce highlighted Bitcoin’s volatility at the time. Lawrence Summers expressed a mix of excitement and concern about the potential reputation risk associated with it. Epstein’s network, as revealed in these messages, offered crypto protagonists access to powerful financiers and policymakers.
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Implications for CBDCs and Power
These revelations feed into wider concerns about Epstein’s role in shaping the digital-money narrative. Some analysts believe his backing of MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) has implications for current central bank digital currency (CBDC) experiments. The notion that Epstein was not just a financier but a connector between the crypto world and high-level policy elites raises serious ethical questions about influence, agenda-setting, and power in the early days of Bitcoin.
What This Does, and Doesn’t Prove
These documents do not provide evidence that Epstein created Bitcoin or wrote its whitepaper. Rather, they suggest he used his wealth and connections to influence both the conversation around crypto regulation and the infrastructure of Bitcoin’s early development. MIT’s internal review did not confirm any allegations of improper technical involvement, but the ethical concerns remain.
A Call for Closer Scrutiny
Versan Aljarrah’s spotlight on these emails presents a sharper lens on Epstein’s late-stage ambitions. The case strengthens the call for transparency around the funding and influence behind foundational crypto projects. It also demands a reckoning: how much of Bitcoin’s early architecture was quietly shaped by someone infamous, and what does that mean for today’s financial systems? The public deserves accountability—and a clearer, more complete history.