Epstein emails reveal contact with New York regulator during BitLicense drafting

Emails linked to Jeffrey Epstein released in newly unsealed US Justice Department records made several new revelations. These notes show that Epstein met with New York’s top financial regulator in 2014. This happened when the state was drafting the first major regulatory framework for Bitcoin and other digital assets. The draft later became the BitLicense.

The exchanged messages suggest that Epstein met with Ben Lawsky, then superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS). However, the rule was finalized in 2015, and it finally set the licensing requirements for crypto businesses operating in New York.

Epstein surfaces in BitLicense backstory

The BitLicense turns out to be the first such attempt by the regulators to oversee bitcoin at the state level. The regulation was heavily criticized by the young Bitcoin industry. many of which argued that the compliance burden was excessive and ill-suited for the industry. This led several firms to choose not to operate in New York. They even posted notices that their services were unavailable to those living in Iran, North Korea, and New York.

One of the emails shows that Epstein suggested that New York should consider implementing a tax policy favorable to Bitcoin. Meanwhile, records do not indicate whether Lawsky acted on the suggestion. Nor does it show hints that the meeting influenced the final form of the regulation.

The emails also show Epstein serving as an informal board for industry figures affected by the BitLicense. Austin Hill, then chief executive of Blockstream, had written to Epstein seeking advice on an industry petition related to the rule. However, Blockstream later became one of the biggest companies that built infrastructure around the Bitcoin network.

Lawsky left NYDFS in 2015, and that was shortly after the BitLicense came into force. He reportedly got involved with the companies working in the sector he regulated in the later years. He was on the Board of Directors at Ripple for several years, and another firm, NYDIG, received a BitLicense nine months after Lawsky joined it.

What the Epstein files say about crypto?

The newly released documents in the case are a much larger amount of material that can commonly be referred to as the Epstein Files. They include emails, court filings, flight logs, contact lists, and more. Epstein was allegedly a financier who held extensive ties to academics, technologists, and policymakers. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor. 

Most of the records tied to him were sealed for years. In late 2025 and early 2026, the US government began releasing millions of pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The documents released so far do not support claims that Epstein was connected to Satoshi Nakamoto or directly involved in bitcoin’s creation.

However, these documents show that Epstein moved within the same financial, academic, and policy networks. They also show him expressing opinions about Bitcoin and other digital assets. The meeting with New York’s financial regulator adds to that picture.

Bitcoin has rallied with huge acceptance over the years. BTC was trading around $200-$300 zone back in 2015. It was 2017 when the original crypto went on to hit above the $1,000 mark. However, Bitcoin managed to hit an all-time high of over $126,000 in October 2025. BTC is trading at an average price of $77,404 at the press time.

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