On Oct. 31, 2008, somebody using that name sent a nine-page paper to a group of cryptographers explaining a system of “electronic cash” that allowed people to exchange value without the need for a bank or other party.
Bitcoin combined encryption, cryptography, distributed computing and game theory.
Anybody can send bitcoin to the public key, or the destination address, which is similar to a bank account.
In May 2016, Mr. Wright claimed that he was bitcoin’s founder.