Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-01388
Owner incapacity — Coinbase (2025)
ConstrainedCase description
A 2025 UK elder care case involved an 81-year-old Coinbase user diagnosed with vascular dementia whose cognitive decline had progressed to the point where they could no longer remember their account password or the answers to security questions. Their son held a registered Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for financial decisions. Coinbase's estate and incapacity access process required the LPA registration certificate, a copy of the LPA document, and proof of the attorney's identity. The process was completed in approximately six weeks but required the son to correspond with Coinbase's specialist compliance team rather than standard customer support—a pathway that many families in similar situations did not know existed.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Owner incapacity |
| Custody system | Exchange custody |
| Outcome | Constrained |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2025 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
Structural dependencies observed
What this illustrates
Getting access back required help from an institution — and that help wasn't available. Whether full access was ultimately possible is unclear, but significant delay or outside intervention was involved.
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.
Source
Privately Reported
Evidence type
News article
Related cases involving owner incapacity
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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