BREAKING: Satoshi Nakamoto’s Iconic Statue Vanishes in Switzerland—Crypto Community Outraged

Switzerland’s crypto scene just got rocked—not by a market crash, but by brazen theft. The landmark statue honoring Bitcoin’s enigmatic creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, has disappeared overnight. No ransom notes, no hacktivist claims—just a clean getaway that’d make a DeFi exploit blush.

Local authorities are scrambling. The statue—a 3-meter bronze homage to crypto’s anonymous godfather—stood in a Zurich tech park until thieves pulled off a heist smoother than a stablecoin’s whitepaper promises. Police won’t confirm if it’s an inside job, but let’s face it: in crypto, trust is always the first casualty.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s price didn’t flinch. Because nothing says 'decentralized' like watching physical tributes vanish while the ledger stays immutable. Swiss officials promise 'urgent action,' though given their track record with bank seizures, we’re betting on a NFT replica before the real thing resurfaces.

Final thought: If Satoshi’s ghost ever needed proof that his invention outsmarted legacy systems, here it is—thieves ditched fentanyl for cold bronze. Even crime’s gone digital.

Where is the Satoshi Nakamoto Statue?

On August 2, reports emerged confirming the theft of the Satoshi Nakamoto statue.

The first indication of the statue’s disappearance came from a social media user, Gritto, who shared their concerns online.

Hey @planb_network where the F… has Satoshi Nakamoto's statue gone?! pic.twitter.com/FchcOMJhuS

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino reacted to the news by stating that an unknown individual was responsible for the statue’s removal.

In the aftermath, Gritto shared his own theory about the statue’s disappearance.

He claimed to have seen the statue intact on the night of August 1, Swiss National Day, just before a group of intoxicated individuals passed by it.

Gritto claimed the group could have easily moved the statue, which was secured by only two points. He suggested they could have thrown it into the nearby lake without being noticed.

“There are cameras everywhere in the city so i assume, they just threw it inside the lake beside, before going home. No way, they could have carried it unnoticed in the city. So my opinion: it is in the lake, just beside its previous location,” Gritto stated.

0.1 Bitcoin Bounty Offered to Recover the Stolen Artwork

Meanwhile, the Bitcoin-centered organization, Satoshi Gallery, has launched a bounty to recover the stolen artwork.

The organization is offering 0.1 BTC, valued at approximately $11,359, to anyone who provides information leading to the statue’s return.

Where is Satoshi?

We are offering 0.1 BTC to whoever will help us recovering the Statue of Satoshi Nakamoto that was stolen yesterday in Lugano.

You can steal our symbol but you will never be able to steal our souls.

Thank you all for the nice messages.

We are all in this… https://t.co/cAGCqg4CuP pic.twitter.com/iGrBOdVYhe

Plan B, a Tether-backed initiative, and the City of Lugano originally unveiled the statue in October 2024.

The statue stood in front of Villa Ciani, symbolizing Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision for Bitcoin. It also represented his retreat from the public eye after creating the cryptocurrency.

Notably, its unique design allows it to disappear from view as the observer changes perspective gradually. This represents Satoshi’s elusive nature and the ongoing legacy of his creation.

The Lugano statue is part of a global effort to commemorate Nakamoto’s legacy through 21 identical installations worldwide.

Since its debut in Lugano, organizers have unveiled two more statues—one in El Zonte, El Salvador (known as Bitcoin Beach), and another in Tokyo, Japan, in April 2025.

Despite the setback in Switzerland, the Satoshi Gallery has reaffirmed its commitment to the initiative.

The group already revealed plans to install 18 more statues in key locations worldwide. This effort will continue its mission to celebrate Bitcoin’s origins and decentralized ethos.