Blockstream’s Adam Back Addresses Epstein Links as DOJ Releases New Files

Blockstream CEO Adam Back responded to renewed attention around the company after newly unsealed Jeffrey Epstein documents emerged as part of a large US Department of Justice disclosure.

In a public clarification, Back said Blockstream has no ongoing or historical financial relationship with the convicted sex offender.

Blockstream Says No Epstein Ties

Back asserted that any contact occurred briefly during the company’s seed fundraising in 2014 and ended shortly afterward. He explained that Blockstream was introduced to Joi Ito, then director of the MIT Media Lab, during its early investor roadshow. Through Ito, the company met Epstein, who was presented at the time as a limited partner in Ito’s investment fund.

That fund later acquired a small minority stake in Blockstream but divested within months, citing potential conflicts of interest and other concerns. Back said that Blockstream never received capital directly from Epstein and has had no direct or indirect ties to him or his estate since.

The statement comes as the DOJ continues publishing millions of pages of Epstein-related materials under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. A new batch was released on January 30. The documents name several prominent figures from technology, finance, and politics, though the DOJ has noted that inclusion in the records does not, on its own, indicate wrongdoing.

Among the newly unsealed material are 2014 emails in which Blockstream co-founder Austin Hill discussed the company’s oversubscribed seed round with Ito and Epstein, as well as travel booking correspondence referencing St. Thomas, an island near Epstein’s private compound. So far, no allegations have been made against Blockstream or its executives, but those references have drawn scrutiny.

Interest in Bitcoin and Elite Circles

The disclosures also revealed Epstein’s interest in cryptocurrency, including private discussions about Bitcoin’s role and criticism of blockchain projects such as Ripple and Stellar, alongside later attempts to pitch new digital currency concepts. Other prominent industry figures, including Trump’s pick for Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, are also mentioned in the files.

Meanwhile, new Epstein-related records published by the DOJ on January 31 include a 2010 email from American entertainment publicist Peggy Siegal surfaced, mentioning Strategy co-founder Michael Saylor. The email said Saylor donated $25,000 to a charity event, which helped him receive invitations to exclusive social events. Siegal described him as difficult to talk to, socially awkward, a “complete creep”, and “sort of like a zombie on a drug.”

Swissblock’s Head Macro Economist Henrik Zeberg said that anyone who visited Epstein’s private island after his 2008 conviction bears moral responsibility. Zeberg tweeted,

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