Points of Focus

• WikiLeaks adopted Bitcoin after losing access to key payment networks.
• The funding crisis became Bitcoin’s first major real-world payment test.
• Satoshi Nakamoto warned the exposure could draw unwanted attention to the network.

When WikiLeaks published a Bitcoin donation address on June 14, 2011, the organization was searching for new funding channels after losing access to major payment networks following the Cablegate disclosures, leaving it unable to receive support through many of the financial services it previously relied on.

Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Bank of America, and Western Union were among the companies that cut ties with WikiLeaks following political and legal pressure linked to the disclosures. According to a WikiLeaks press release, the financial blockade cut off roughly 95% of the organization’s operating revenue, forcing it to seek alternative funding channels.

Bitcoin donations filled a funding gap

With conventional payment options disappearing, WikiLeaks turned to Bitcoin as an alternative way to collect donations. The decision tested whether Bitcoin could function as an alternative payment channel during a financial blockade. Until then, Bitcoin had largely been discussed within technical and libertarian circles, with limited evidence that it could support an organization facing a coordinated financial blockade.

The WikiLeaks case offered one of the first opportunities to test whether a decentralized payment network could continue processing transactions when banks and payment processors refused to participate. Bitcoin Magazine recently noted that WikiLeaks received about 4,043 BTC in donations after it began accepting Bitcoin in 2011.

FUN FACT: 15 years ago yesterday, WikiLeaks started accepting Bitcoin payments after being cut off from banks and payment processors.

WikiLeaks received 4,043 BTC, now worth $268 million today ✨ pic.twitter.com/zv9hGt0Xek

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) June 15, 2026

Satoshi warning highlighted early risks

The decision also sparked concern among Bitcoin’s earliest supporters. Before WikiLeaks adopted Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto urged the organization not to rely on the network, arguing that the project was still in its infancy and vulnerable to outside pressure.

After WikiLeaks moved forward, Satoshi Nakamoto wrote on the Bitcointalk forum that the organization had “kicked the hornet’s nest,” warning that heightened attention could attract scrutiny to a young ecosystem that was still developing its software, infrastructure, and user base.

At the time, Bitcoin was barely two years old, had a small community of users, and lacked the market depth and infrastructure seen today. Yet the network continued processing transactions throughout the controversy, giving supporters a practical example of how decentralized payments could function when access to traditional rails was restricted.

The impact extended beyond WikiLeaks. WordPress began accepting Bitcoin payments in 2012, while the Internet Archive announced support for Bitcoin donations in 2013. Those decisions followed one of the cryptocurrency’s earliest high-profile funding use cases and helped broaden Bitcoin’s adoption for payments and donations beyond its early user community.