From Coinbase to Blockstream: Jeffrey Epstein’s Shadow at the Beginning of Cryptocurrency

Epstein files. The release of more than 3 million documents by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in February 2026 sent shockwaves through the digital ecosystem. Far from being mere social address books, these files reveal how Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, infiltrated the booming cryptocurrency industry with impressive agility.

Besides being morbidly curious, these documents paint a portrait of a man who, back in 2014, understood the disruptive potential – and opacity – of blockchain to build a network of influence alongside his criminal activities. From Coinbase to Blockstream is a comprehensive account of the plunge that now calls into question the ethics of the sector’s pioneers.

Key points of this article:

• The Justice Department’s release of millions of documents revealed Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement in the cryptocurrency industry, sending shockwaves through the digital ecosystem.
• Epstein invested in Coinbase and Blockstream, building close ties to key figures such as Brock Pierce, raising questions about the ethics of blockchain pioneers.

Coinbase, Blockstram and their ties to Jeffrey Epstein One of the most documented revelations refers to investments Jeffrey Epstein in in the amount of 3 million dollars to the stock exchange Coinbase in December 2014. At the time, the company was valued at only about $400 million.

It is reported that this possibility offered him Brock Pierce co-founder Tether through his firm Blockchain Capital. Although the firm stated that the investment was made “regardless of”, emails suggest that Fred Ersam the co-founder of Coinbase, was personally briefed on Epstein’s investment during the Series C funding round.

In February 2018, reportedly Jeffrey Epstein sold half of his shares for 15 million dollars increasing his investment tenfold in three years. DOJ documents also confirm that he invested in Blockstream a key player in the Bitcoin infrastructure. General director Adam Beck admitted that his company met with Jeffrey Epstein. in 2014, then presented as restricted partner of the Joichi Ito Foundation (MIT Media Lab).

Even more worrying: Adam Beck and his co-founder Austin Gill allegedly invited to the private island of Jeffrey Epstein, Little St. James in 2014. Although Adam Beck claims that shortly after tore up all connections, this exposure prompted some longtime developers such as Luke Dashjr call for his immediate resignations to protect the image of the network.

Tether co-founder Brock Pierce will have to explain his ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Brock Pierce: The Ambiguous Relationship Revealed in the Epstein Files Case According to some documents, the exchange of messages between Jeffrey Epstein and Brock Pierce went far beyond business. These documents detail communication regarding “gifts” and trips. Emails from 2017 show that Epstein acted as “mentor” or an intermediary in Pierce’s romantic life, referring to the woman he referred to “girl” Pierce and his own “assistant”.

IN files is also mentioned meeting in Mr. Epstein’s luxurious townhouse in Manhattan between Brock Pierce and the former president of Harvard by Larry Summers to discuss the future of Bitcoin and reputable risks associated with losses in the market.

Back in 2015, Jeffrey Epstein allegedly used his donations MIT Media Lab (totaling $850,000) to indirectly fund the Digital Currency Initiative (DCI). About $525,000 was specially allocated for the payment of funds to the participants Bitcoin Core at the time when Bitcoin Foundation was bankrupt. These emails show Jeffrey Epstein’s clear intention to use his wealth to “management” technological development of blockchain, intervening in discussions between Joichi Ito and researchers such as Jeremy Rubin .

Among the names circulating is Vitalik Buterin, who is not directly related to this.

The names of Vitalik Buterin and Michael Saylor also appear. Despite its investments, Jeffrey Epstein demonstrated especially cynical view of the world of bitcoin, in particular, in an email to Peter Thiel questioning the lack of consensus about itself its of nature, hesitating between whether to consider it a means of saving, a currency or simply a technical architecture. Paradoxically, he confessed to the researcher Jeremy Rubin in his fear of investors whose sole purpose was the artificial overestimation prices, naming this practice dangerous and ethical gray area

IN documents there are also side effects link on other famous figures, such as Vitalik Buterin which the investor mentioned Masha Drokova, which she claimed to have found “young Russian talent capable of surpassing the founder of Ethereum” or Michael Saylor, which in 2010 was the press secretary Epstein described as “zombie without personality” and so strange that she allegedly ran away from his company during a gala concert to which he nevertheless paid $25,000 to appear as an invitation.

Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement in the funding of Bitcoin Core and his stake in Coinbase illustrates the permeability of networks of technological influence in the 2010s. These records serve as a reminder that despite its reputation, the financier was able to use the early need for capital in the blockchain sector to gain access to innovators. In 2026 this forced transparency forces the industry to confront its past, where vigilance sometimes gave way to the ambitions of power.