Satoshi Nakamoto's legendary Bitcoin fortune has been reduced by an estimated $41 billion as the price of BTC has fallen more than 30% from its all-time high.
The pseudonymous creator's 1.1 million Bitcoins, tracked using the Patoshi mining pattern, have fallen from $138 billion in October to about $96 billion at the time of this writing. This steep decline has seen Satoshi rise from 11th place to about 20th among the world's richest people, and is now just below Bill Gates.
BTC price crash, what happened to Satoshi's Bitcoin stash?
Arkham Intelligence, a blockchain analytics company, uses mining analysis and on-chain forensics to estimate Satoshi's Bitcoin.
The Patoshi Pattern, discovered by Sergio Lerner, identifies more than 22,000 initial addresses likely to be controlled by an organization widely believed to be Satoshi Nakamoto. These coins have remained untouched for more than a decade, fueling intense speculation.
As of October 6, 2025, when the Pioneer cryptocurrency hit an all-time high of $126,296, Satoshi's Bitcoin stash was valued at $138.92 billion. However, the price of Bitcoin has since fallen over 30% and is trading at $87,390 at the time of this writing.
Bitcoin (BTC) price performance. Source: TradingView
This drop reduced Satoshi's Bitcoin stash to $96.129 billion, meaning that $42.79 billion of this fortune disappeared in a matter of weeks.
If Forbes were to list Satoshi as the world's richest people, the Bitcoin founder would be ranked 20th, just below Bill Gates and just above Francoise Betancourt Meyers and her family.
Satoshi ranks among the richest people in the world. Source: Forbes
Despite the vast size of Satoshi's wealth, Forbes and other wealth tracking agencies do not include the Bitcoin founder on their official list of billionaires. This is due to Satoshi's unconfirmed legal status and the fact that the assets are dormant and ownership issues remain unresolved.
The magazine told BeInCrypto: “Forbes does not include Satoshi Nakamoto in its list of billionaires because it cannot verify whether he or she is a living person or whether he or she is an individual or a group of billionaires.”
Ironically, Satoshi's coin remains one of the most visible assets due to the transparency of blockchain.
Satoshi's Bitcoin Holdings. Source: Arkham
Some experts, such as Forbes, have suggested that crypto wallets should be considered for inclusion on the list, even if ownership is anonymous.
Nevertheless, the prolonged dormancy has also led to speculation that the wealth could be lost, become inaccessible, or intentionally abandoned, an unusual scenario among billionaires.
Quantum threat and Satoshi's secret
Elsewhere, the rise of quantum computing has renewed debate about Satoshi's future and potential identity. Some experts have suggested freezing Satoshi's coins or forking the network before “Q-Day” occurs, as quantum computers could someday break the initial Bitcoin encryption. If these risks materialize, the custodians of these coins may need to come forward.
It's important not to let the quantum timeline scare you here.
Running Shor's algorithm is not the same as cracking a real 256-bit ECC key. You can factor numbers using Shor's algorithm, which is great, but it requires a lot of scaling and engineering… https://t.co/juppHGU8wC pic.twitter.com/k38lZvMBLl
— Haseeb＞|＜ (@hosseeb) November 18, 2025
The Nakamoto mystery will reach a global audience in 2026 with the film Killing Satoshi, which explores the mysteries and geopolitical implications of dormant Bitcoin assets.
Until these coins are moved or declared lost, Satoshi's fortune will remain a symbol of Bitcoin's origins and greatest secrets.
If Bitcoin soars from $320,000 to $370,000, Satoshi could become the richest person in the world. As of now, this fortune has not changed for over 15 years and remains very noticeable but untouched.
The article Satoshi Nakamoto loses $43 billion as Bitcoin price falls by over 30% was first published on BeInCrypto.
