CustodyStress
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Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00775

Estate access failure — exchange custody (2020)

Survives
Case description
A December 2020 estate case involved a deceased who had accumulated significant Bitcoin holdings during the year's bull run. The will was clear about the Bitcoin allocation but the estate's foreign executor could not appear in person in the jurisdiction of the exchanges. Remote notarisation was not yet accepted by either exchange. Funds were accessible only after COVID travel restrictions were lifted.
Custody context
Stress conditionOwner death
Custody systemExchange custody
OutcomeSurvives
DocumentationUnknown
Year observed2020
CountryUnknown
Structural dependencies observed
Legal process requiredInstitutional cooperation requiredSingle point of failure
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
Forum post
Evidence link
https://medium.com/@wayne_huang/rsa-2015-panel-bitcoin-s-future-threats-expert-s-roundtable-based-on-150-case-studies-92cc35e68e30
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119 cases involve owner death 512 cases involve exchange custody View archive statistics →
This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents. Submit a case
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Framework references
Where Bitcoin Custody Intersects Legal and Fiduciary Authority
Where custody creates gaps in estate planning, fiduciary duty, and professional responsibility.
Professional Scope Boundary Matrix
What each professional or product covers, what they do not, and where gaps form between them.
The Independent Assessment Layer in Bitcoin Custody
How independent diagnostic layers emerge when multiple parties depend on shared infrastructure.
Terms guide
Outcome terms
Survives
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Constrained
Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.
Blocked
Access was not possible under the reported conditions.
Indeterminate
There was not enough information to determine the outcome.
Structural terms
Single-person knowledge
Recovery depended on information or capability held by one individual who was unavailable.
Institutional dependence
Recovery depended on a third-party institution or service that was inaccessible or uncooperative.
Documentation gap
Recovery depended on instructions that were missing, incomplete, or unclear.
Authority mismatch
The person with legal authority to act did not have operational access, or vice versa.
Original text
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