Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-01227
Owner death — Kraken (2024)
SurvivesCase description
A 2024 exchange estate access case on Kraken involved a beneficiary who held the deceased's death certificate and a copy of the will but encountered a verification requirement specific to Kraken's estate process: the account needed to be unlocked from two-factor authentication before estate access could be granted. The deceased had used a Google Authenticator app on a phone that was no longer accessible. Kraken's estate team required the beneficiary to submit a police report, notarised death certificate, letters testamentary, and a formal written waiver request before agreeing to bypass the 2FA requirement. The process took approximately 10 weeks.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Owner death |
| Custody system | Exchange custody |
| Outcome | Survives |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2024 |
| Country | United States |
Structural dependencies observed
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Privately Reported
Evidence type
News article
Related cases involving owner death
This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents.
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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.
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