Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00399
Owner incapacity — exchange 2016
SurvivesCase description
A Bitcoin day trader was diagnosed with a terminal illness in December 2016 and needed to liquidate exchange holdings to cover medical expenses. Their exchange required enhanced identity verification as part of a new compliance update. Completing the verification was physically difficult due to their illness. The process took six weeks during which the trader could not access their funds.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Owner incapacity |
| Custody system | Exchange custody |
| Outcome | Survives |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2016 |
| Country | Unknown |
Structural dependencies observed
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
Forum post
Related cases involving owner incapacity
This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents.
Submit a case
← All cases
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.
Translate