Hal Finney
Cryptographer, first recipient of a Bitcoin transaction
- Known for
- First Bitcoin transaction recipient[2]
- Years active
- 2008–2014[1]
- Key contribution
- RPOW, reusable proof-of-work (2004)[3]
- Notable date
- Jan 12, 2009: received 10 BTC[1]
Photo: Hal Finney doing math, 1972 by Daily News-Post (staff photo), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.
“Running bitcoin”
Bio
Hal Finney (1956–2014) was an American software developer who worked for PGP Corporation until 2011 and was a regular on the cypherpunks list, where he ran anonymous remailers.[1]
In 2004 he released RPOW, a reusable proof-of-work system built on Hashcash-style tokens. He was among the first to reply to the Bitcoin white paper and, on Jan 12, 2009, received the first Bitcoin transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto.[3][6][1][2]
In his 2013 essay “Bitcoin and me” he described living with ALS. He died on Aug 28, 2014.[5][1]
Timeline
August 2004
Releases RPOW[3]
Nov 7, 2008
Replies to the white paper announcement[6]
Jan 12, 2009
Receives first Bitcoin transaction (block 170)[2]
Mar 19, 2013
Posts “Bitcoin and me”[5]
Aug 28, 2014
Dies[1]
Connections
Hal Finney received the first BTC transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto. Source
Hal Finney built RPOW on Hashcash-style proof-of-work by Adam Back. Source
Hal Finney inspired by the work of (1992 post) David Chaum. Source
Elsewhere on CHC
- Timeline: Hal Finney releases RPOW
- Timeline: First bitcoin transaction to Hal Finney
- History: Origins
- History: Early years
- Quotes
Sources
- [1] Wikipedia: Hal Finney (computer scientist)
- [2] blockstream.info, block 170 (first person-to-person transaction)
- [3] Nakamoto Institute: Hal Finney, RPOW
- [4] Hal Finney on X, “Running bitcoin” (Jan 2009)
- [5] Hal Finney, “Bitcoin and me” (BitcoinTalk, Mar 19, 2013)
- [6] Cryptography Mailing List, Hal Finney reply (Nov 7, 2008)
Checked Oct 15, 2026 · All people