Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
Multisig quorum failure
Cases in this category involve multisig arrangements where the required number of signers was not available to authorize a transaction.
Multisig quorum failures arise when the signing threshold cannot be reached due to key holder unavailability, not due to key loss. Cases span personal inheritance setups, corporate treasury arrangements, and protocol-level governance structures. The common pattern is a quorum requirement designed for security that becomes a coordination barrier when key holders are unavailable, unresponsive, or in dispute.
77 observed cases
Blocked
5 (6%)
Constrained
7 (9%)
Survives
56 (73%)
Indeterminate
9 (12%)
Multisig quorum failure — software wallet (2013)
Mobile or software wallet
An early experiment with Bitcoin multisig in 2013 used a 2-of-3 configuration shared between three parties in different countries. One key holder became unconta
Device stolen — 2-of-3 multisig (2013)
Mobile or software wallet
An early Bitcoin investment cooperative in 2013 implemented a 2-of-3 multisig arrangement across three geographically distributed members. One member disappeare
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