[Epstein Has Been Interested in Bitcoin Since 2011, Discussed Its Nature with Peter Thiel] BlockBeats news, February 3: According to the latest public records, Epstein began paying attention to Bitcoin as early as 2011. In an email dated June 12, 2011, Epstein stated, 'Bitcoin is a brilliant idea, but it also has some serious flaws.' In 2013, Epstein discussed Bitcoin with Boris Nikolic, former chief technology advisor to Bill Gates; Steven Sinofsky, a16z board partner and former president of Microsoft's Windows division. Furthermore, in 2014, Epstein had in-depth discussions about the nature of Bitcoin with PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. In an email, Epstein remarked, 'There is no consensus on what Bitcoin actually is—whether it’s a store of value, a currency, or property... It’s like men dressing as women, like property disguised as currency.' Additionally, in 2016, Epstein mentioned in emails with Raafat AlSabbagh, advisor to the Saudi Royal Court, and Aziza Al Ahmadi, current advisor to the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, 'I’ve communicated with some Bitcoin creators, and they are very excited.' It is worth noting that documents released last December revealed that Epstein indirectly funded the Digital Currency Initiative with an $850,000 donation to MIT. This initiative hired Bitcoin Core developers, such as Gavin Andresen and Wladimir van der Laan, during the collapse of the Bitcoin Foundation in 2015.