Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
Forced relocation
Cases in this category involve custody arrangements that depended on physical access to a specific location or jurisdiction which the owner was forced to leave.
Forced relocation cases expose geographic dependencies that are invisible during normal operation. Most custody setups implicitly assume the owner retains physical access to their home country, devices, and stored materials. Cases in this category involve deportation, border detention, conflict displacement, and emergency evacuation — situations where that assumption fails abruptly.
91 observed cases
Blocked
15 (16%)
Constrained
49 (54%)
Survives
18 (20%)
Indeterminate
9 (10%)
Forced relocation — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Venezuelan Bitcoin holders continued to use Bitcoin as a primary savings vehicle in 2025, amid sustained economic instability and hyperinflation. The Maduro gov
Forced relocation — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Palestinian Bitcoin holders in Gaza experienced a second consecutive year of severe infrastructure disruption. Banking systems remained non-functional across la
Sanctions lockout — exchange custody (2025)
Exchange custody
Russian Bitcoin holders continued to face complete exclusion from Western exchange and custody services in 2025 under sustained OFAC and EU sanctions. The seizu
Forced relocation — exchange custody (2025)
Exchange custody
Bitcoin holders in conflict-affected regions of East Africa faced complete access disruption in 2025 as civil war in Sudan and ongoing conflicts in parts of Eth
Forced relocation — exchange custody (2025)
Exchange custody
Bitcoin holders in areas of Myanmar controlled by the military junta continued to face severe internet restrictions and communication blackouts in 2025. Regions
Sanctions lockout — exchange custody (2025)
Exchange custody
US Treasury expanded OFAC sanctions designations related to North Korean cryptocurrency activities in 2025, designating additional exchanges and individuals con
Hidden wallet discovered — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Ukrainian Bitcoin holders who had been displaced by the ongoing Russian invasion continued to face access challenges in 2025. While self-custody wallets were ac
Sanctions lockout — exchange custody (2024)
Exchange custody
Russian nationals remained completely blocked from all major Western exchange platforms through 2024 under OFAC and EU sanctions. Despite the legal complexity o
Sanctions lockout — exchange custody (2024)
Exchange custody
Russian residents with Bitcoin on Western exchanges continued to face total access blockage through 2024 under the OFAC and EU sanctions framework. By 2024, add
Hidden wallet discovered — hardware wallet (2024)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Bitcoin holders in Gaza who had adopted cryptocurrency as protection against financial instability during the 2023-2024 conflict found their Bitcoin technically
Forced relocation — hardware wallet (2024)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Bitcoin holders in Myanmar displaced by the ongoing civil conflict following the 2021 military coup continued to face practical access barriers in 2024. Areas u
Forced relocation — exchange custody (2024)
Exchange custody
Palestinians holding Bitcoin on international exchanges faced a layered access problem in 2024: some exchanges had restricted accounts for Palestinian passport
Hidden wallet discovered — exchange custody (2024)
Exchange custody
Bitcoin holders in Sudan who had used mobile money–linked exchange accounts found their access completely severed during the escalating civil war in 2024. Banki
The 2023 Binance settlement included findings about sanctions evasion facilitation.
Exchange custody
North Korean citizens and organisations designated under US, EU, and UN sanctions continued in 2023 to be blocked from all Western-linked crypto services. Attem
Sanctions lockout — Coinbase (2023)
Exchange custody
Russian residents whose Bitcoin was held on Western exchanges continued to be blocked in 2023 following the February 2022 sanctions. Kraken, Coinbase, and Binan
Forced relocation — hardware wallet (2023)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Nigerian citizens who had adopted Bitcoin as protection against naira devaluation encountered a new constraint in 2023 when the Nigerian government banned the u
Forced relocation — hardware wallet (2023)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Ukrainian displaced persons who had managed to carry their seed phrases out of Ukraine in 2022 encountered a different set of access challenges in 2023 as they
Sanctions lockout — hardware wallet (2023)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Afghan Bitcoin holders who had fled to third countries following the 2021 Taliban takeover continued in 2023 to face access barriers rooted in the transition. S
Sanctions lockout — exchange custody (2023)
Exchange custody
Russian individuals who had moved crypto to non-Western exchanges in 2022 to avoid sanction-related restrictions found in 2023 that those exchanges—some based i
Forced relocation — Coinbase (2022)
Exchange custody
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western exchanges including Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance faced pressure from regulators to restrict se
Forced relocation — Coinbase (2022)
Exchange custody
Russian holders of Bitcoin on international exchanges faced unexpected access constraints in early 2022 as multiple exchanges—including Coinbase, Binance, and K
Sanctions lockout — exchange custody (2022)
Exchange custody
Ukrainian citizens who had crypto on exchanges based in Russia or operated by Russian entities faced access constraints following the invasion and subsequent sa
Forced relocation — hardware wallet (2022)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Ukrainian residents who fled the Russian invasion in February and March 2022 faced acute custody stress when their Bitcoin hardware wallets were left behind, st
Forced relocation — exchange custody (2021)
Exchange custody
India's Finance Minister announced in April 2021 that a crypto ban bill would be introduced to Parliament. The announcement triggered a sell-off on Indian excha
Forced relocation — software wallet (2021)
Mobile or software wallet
China's Bitcoin mining ban created a sudden massive influx of mining equipment into Kazakhstan in May 2021. The Kazakhstani electricity grid became strained. Lo
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