Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright on Monday publicly identified himself as the creator of Bitcoin – he was previously known only by name as Satoshi Nakamoto. Ending years of speculation about who came up with the concept, Wright also provided technical proof to support his claim, using coins known to be owned by the creator of the digital currency system. Prominent members of the Bitcoin community and its core development team confirmed Wright's claim, BBC reported.

Wright first revealed his identity to the BBC, The Economist and GQ. At the meeting with the BBC, he digitally signed messages using cryptographic keys created during the early days of Bitcoin's development. These are undoubtedly linked to blocks of Bitcoins known to have been created, or mined, by Nakamoto. During the demonstration, Wright said, “These are the blocks used to send 10 bitcoins to Hal Finney in January [2009] as the first Bitcoin transaction.” Finney, a renowned cryptographer, was one of the engineers who helped transform Wright's ideas into the Bitcoin.

Soon after two magazines – Wired and Gizmodo – had named Wright as the possible inventor of the Bitcoin in December 2015, Australian authorities raided his home. However, the Australian Taxation Office had claimed the raid was part of investigation into tax payments. Following the magazine reports, Wright was pursued by many other journalists looking into the news.

Wright further expressed his regret about having to reveal his identity. “I have not done this because it is what I wanted. It's not because of my choice...I really do not want to be the public face of anything...I want to work, I want to keep doing what I want to do. I don't want money. I don't want fame. I don't want adoration. I just want to be left alone,” he said.

Bitcoins are now an accepted form of payment for a variety of goods and services. There are currently some 15.5 million Bitcoins in circulation, each worth about $449 (approximately Rs 30,000). It is believed that Nakamoto had amassed as many as one million Bitcoins, which would make his net worth around $450 million, if it were all converted to cash.