Beijing professor Jiang Xueqin sparks debate with claim Bitcoin is a US intelligence project

Beijing-based educator Jiang Xueqin has sparked renewed debate in the crypto market after claiming that Bitcoin may have been created by U.S. intelligence agencies.

In a recent interview and podcast appearance, Jiang raised questions about Bitcoin’s origins, highlighting its anonymous creator, its free global release, and its underlying infrastructure. He argued that such a project would likely require institutional backing, naming agencies such as the CIA and DARPA as possible sources.

Jiang Xueqin raises questions on Bitcoin’s origins

Jiang Xueqin centered his argument around three questions: who had the capability to build Bitcoin, who benefits from it, and why its creator remained anonymous. He stated that the level of technical development behind Bitcoin, followed by its free release, did not align with usual individual incentives. According to Jiang, a game-theoretic analysis raises the possibility of a deep state origin involving U.S. intelligence institutions.

The @xueqinjiang interview

00:00 – Intro
01:30 – US Will Lose Iran War
35:20 – Trump’s Divine Plan to Save America
01:01:35 – Game Theory & Eschatology
01:24:20 – Consumerism is Slavery
02:08:30 – US Civil War in 2030
02:37:40 – Pax Judaica 2045
02:48:25 – AI God 2060
03:10:20 -… pic.twitter.com/VRKkCGBuh0

— jack neel (@jackhneel) April 15, 2026

He also suggested that blockchain technology could have emerged from the same environments that gave rise to systems such as the internet and GPS. Jiang added that such institutions could benefit from blockchain’s structure, describing it as a system capable of supporting both surveillance and covert financial activity.

Jiang further questioned the physical infrastructure behind Bitcoin, asking where its servers and databases are located. He claimed that control over hardware could imply control over the system, regardless of its open-source nature.

Bitcoin community responds to Jiang Xueqin’s claims

In response, analysts noted that Bitcoin is not based on centralized servers. Instead, they noted that the network operates on approximately 97,000 independently run nodes across 164 countries. Such nodes are mutually supportive, eliminating any single point of control or failure.

In addition, critics claimed that Jiang is placing too much emphasis on physical servers, which is a misconception of decentralized systems. They indicated that Bitcoin’s open-source nature and distributed validation enable any user to independently verify transactions.

The controversy surrounding Jiang Xueqin’s assertions follows another debate over the creator of Bitcoin. A New York Times report, previously highlighted by Cryptopolitan, suggested that Adam Back, co-founder of Blockstream, might be Satoshi Nakamoto. The study mentioned patterns of writing and early use of cryptography among supporting factors.

In a public statement, Adam Back denied the allegation, stating that he did not create Bitcoin. He admitted he had heard about initial work on cryptography and electronic cash systems, but he denied the conclusion reached in the report. In addition, he argued that secrecy around the creator could help maintain trust, as public knowledge of government involvement might deter participation.