The chain of events that led central banks and major financial institutions to get involved with blockchain-based digital currencies really started with the introduction of Bitcoin on January 3, 2009. Even before Bitcoin’s white paper appeared on October 31, 2008, the NSA—a sister organization to the CIA—had already published various white papers on related topics.
When Bitcoin emerged, some mainstream organizations surprisingly promoted it early on. Outlets like the Financial Times, Reuters, and Bloomberg—sources that provide financial quotes—were already including Bitcoin prices and running major articles about it, even when Bitcoin was still tiny, fringe, and virtually unknown. Over time, the coverage increased. Large banks such as JP Morgan began announcing partnerships with people involved in Bitcoin or similar electronic, distributed-ledger, blockchain-related currencies. Then central banks joined in, saying, “We have to get in on this.” Bitcoin ended up serving as an excuse for central banks to claim there was market demand for such technology. Christine Lagarde even said this is why we need to consider introducing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)—because “we have to offer something.”
» We have to get in on this. «
■ Written in Japanese, Nakamoto is 中本. The first character, 中 (Naka), means “middle,” “center,” or “inside,” and is also part of the name for China, the “Central Kingdom.” The second character, 本 (Moto), means “origin,” “source,” or “root,” and is used in the Japanese name for Japan. Together, 中本 (Nakamoto) can be interpreted as “central origin” or “center source.”
■ The name Satoshi (さとし) can be written with various kanji, such as 智 or 悟司. The character 智 means “wisdom” or “intelligence” in both Chinese (pronounced zhì) and Japanese (satoshi). In Japanese, two kanji are sometimes combined to deepen a concept—for example, 聡智 (sōchi) means “cleverness and wisdom,” where 聡 means “intelligent” or “clear-hearing,” paired with 智 for “wisdom.”
■ The name Satoshi (さとし) can be written with various kanji, such as 智 or 悟司. The character 智 means “wisdom” or “intelligence” in both Chinese (pronounced zhì) and Japanese (satoshi). In Japanese, two kanji are sometimes combined to deepen a concept—for example, 聡智 (sōchi) means “cleverness and wisdom,” where 聡 means “intelligent” or “clear-hearing,” paired with 智 for “wisdom.”
In the context of Nakamoto Satoshi, this combination could be interpreted as “very central” or “Central Intelligence.” If you understand Japanese writing, it’s not hard to see. I also think intelligence agencies sometimes like to drop hints—because even though they operate in secret, they still like to be talked about.
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