LUGANO, Switzerland – The statue honoring Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto in Lugano has been stolen. The Satoshigallery team has announced a reward of 0.1 BTC (over $11,000) for any information that leads to the recovery of this artwork.
In light of this unfortunate incident, the Satoshigallery team remains determined to continue their plan to place Satoshi statues in 21 cities worldwide. They assert that no one can “steal the soul” of this project.
Designed by artist Valentina Picozzi, the statue was unveiled in October of last year. Made from stainless steel and corten steel, it features a modern and sustainable design.
The statue in Lugano features a unique design depicting an anonymous figure sitting in front of a laptop. This image symbolizes the anonymity of Bitcoin’s founder and conveys the message that “we are all Satoshi.”
The research and development process for this artwork took 18 months. It was first displayed at the Plan B Forum, an event organized by the city of Lugano in collaboration with Tether.
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The mayor of Lugano described the statue as a symbol of the city’s commitment to digital innovation. Lugano is not the first location to honor Satoshi Nakamoto; the capital of Hungary, Budapest, erected a statue in tribute to the Bitcoin founder in 2021.
Estimates suggest that Satoshi Nakamoto, with approximately 1.096 million BTC valued at over $131 billion, is theoretically the 11th richest person in the world. If Bitcoin’s price were to triple from its current level, this mysterious founder could even surpass billionaire Elon Musk in wealth.
Notably, Nakamoto’s Bitcoin wallet has never conducted any transactions, further adding to the mystery surrounding the true identity of the creator of the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
