Blockstream CEO Adam Back, a British cryptographer and the inventor of Hashcash, expressed that being considered Satoshi Nakamoto has left him "surprised," likely due to his overly "talkative" nature in early cypherpunk mailing lists.
Back participated in a fireside chat with Cointelegraph at the recent LONGITUDE event held in Paris, co-hosted by cryptocurrency exchange OKX, discussing topics including crypto regulation, market structure, and the development of stablecoins.
Adam Back denied renewed speculation about him being the inventor of Bitcoin.
“In a way, it’s surprising that people think you might have done it,” Back said, referring to a widely reported New York Times article from April 8 that suggested he is Satoshi, which he denied.
He explained that there are logical reasons why some believe he is the creator of Bitcoin. “For me, the issue is that I was very talkative on the mailing list,” he mentioned the cryptography mailing list from 1992, where Satoshi first introduced the Bitcoin white paper in October 2008.
“Whenever someone talked about electronic cash, I was there, I was the one who had something to say,” he said.
Back noted that the mystery surrounding Satoshi is an “interesting question,” one that he and others in the industry have pondered but never found an answer to.
Before the fireside chat with Back, the event featured three panel discussions covering the role of traditional financial institutions in Web3, the need for clearer regulation, and the pace of stablecoin adoption, along with a separate fireside chat with OKX Europe CEO Erald Ghoos.
MiCA Regulation “Highly Beneficial,” but Poses Risks to Innovation
Executives in the crypto industry stated that recent regulatory measures aimed at the sector are positive in enhancing clarity, but fragmented and excessive regulation could stifle innovation.
In a stage interview, Ghoos elaborated on the “Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA)” regulatory framework, with OKX Europe expected to be fully compliant by January 2025.
“I think MiCA is highly beneficial for the industry,” Ghoos stated, explaining that the regulation helps build trust in cryptocurrencies.
“Now it’s a fully regulated asset class, which is very important,” Ghoos added, noting that industry participants will be “reviewed and held to the highest standards.”
However, he warned that the “regulatory burden” could slow down innovation in Europe.
“Right now, with startups facing such a heavy regulatory burden, I am genuinely concerned that the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that Europe has will start to shift to other parts of the world,” he said.
CertiK CEO Ronghui Gu stated that the lack of a unified global framework is a pain point in the industry.
“For developers and crypto companies in different regions,
