Crypto inheritance becomes a product: on September 29, 2026, the Uphold platform launched a paid service to transmit its cryptos to a designated beneficiary. The need is real. By June 2025, more than 17% of bitcoins had not moved for at least ten years, according to Fidelity. An unknown part of these tokens remains lost or inaccessible, specifies the asset manager.
In brief
- 17%: this is the share of bitcoins that have remained immobile for at least ten years in June 2025, according to Fidelity.
- 1 to 2 months: this is the time frame announced by Binance to process an inheritance request on its application.
- No recovery: without the recovery phrase, no wallet manufacturer can return your cryptos.
- 215 million Canadian dollars: QuadrigaCX owed this sum to its clients upon the death of its founder. The cause was fraud, not lost keys.
Crypto inheritance: on a platform, succession remains possible
It all depends first on where you keep your cryptos. On an exchange platform, the account belongs to an identified client. The heirs can therefore claim it, as for a crypto wallet hosted by a third party.
Large platforms require the same parts. You need a death certificate, a document designating the heirs or executor, and an identity document. At the house of Krakenthe legal representative also sends a signed letter. Coinbase specifies for its part that it does not yet allow the designation of a beneficiary on an individual account.
The delay then varies depending on the platform. Binance is the only one to announce a deadline: “around 1 to 2 months” for its inheritance procedure. At Coinbase and Binance, the heir must also have an account on the same platform. In Europe, the Dutch platform Bitvavo pays the funds to a single heir, with a declaration of heredity.
On a personal wallet, no recovery phrase, no inheritance
With a personal wallet, the situation changes completely. No one keeps track of your name. Only the recovery phrase, a sequence of 12 or 24 words, gives access to the funds.
If your Trezor and wallet backup are gone, there is no way to recover your accounts.
Trezor, official blog
The American stock market watchdog, the SEC, says the same thing in a December 2025 guide. Losing your private key, she writes, means permanently losing access to your cryptos. A cold wallet therefore protects well against hacking, but it does not protect against forgetting.
However, these losses remain difficult to measure. In 2017, the company Chainalysis estimated the lost bitcoins at 2.78 to 3.79 million, according to Fortune. Fidelity rather measures bitcoins that have been immobile for ten years: more than 17% of the supply in June 2025. Only part would be lost, and this figure includes the coins attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto.
QuadrigaCX, a case often poorly told
The most cited case remains QuadrigaCX, a Canadian platform. Its founder, Gerald Cotten, died in India on December 9, 2018. The platform then owed 215 million Canadian dollars to more than 76,000 customers. For years, many believed that these funds were lying dormant in wallets to which only he had the keys.
However, the investigation by the Ontario Securities Commission ruled out this theory in June 2020.
The fall of crypto-asset platform QuadrigaCX resulted from fraud committed by its co-founder and CEO, Gerald Cotten.
Ontario Securities Commission, June 2020 report
According to this report, approximately 115 million Canadian dollars disappeared in fraudulent transactions on the platform. Clients ultimately recover 13% of their assets, according to CBC. This case therefore illustrates above all the risk of a poorly controlled platform, more than that of a poorly prepared crypto legacy.
Crypto heritage: what the law provides for depending on the country
In a crypto inheritance, tokens enter the estate, like a bank account or stocks. They are generally assessed on the day of death. This price then serves as a starting point when the heir sells.
| Country | Succession status | For the heir who resells |
| France | Declaration of inheritance within 6 months, value on the day of death | Acquisition price equal to the value declared to the estate |
| UNITED STATES | Like any other, federal rights beyond $15 million in 2026 | Cost price reverted to the value on the day of death |
| United Kingdom | Incorporated into the estate, 40% tax above £325,000 | Value on the day of death declared to the tax authorities |
| Germany | Online accounts pass to heirs, according to 2018 ruling | The heir takes over the date of purchase from the deceased |
| Portugal | Stamp duty, with exemption for spouse and children | Point not specified by the administration |
In the European Union, succession follows the law of the country where the deceased lived. MiCA, the European regulation on crypto-assets, however, does not provide for any procedure for deceased customers. The United Kingdom has recognized digital assets as property in a law of December 2, 2025. In France, a law of June 25, 2026 extends to ten years the tax control period on cryptos held abroad and not declared in an inheritance, according to notaries.
Prepare crypto inheritance without exposing your keys
Among notaries, one piece of advice comes first: the inventory. There chamber of notaries of Gironde recommends drawing up a detailed list of your cryptos during your lifetime. She adds that this list “will, however, remain in vain if the means of access to these assets are not transmitted with them”.
However, do not write down your recovery sentence in a will. In England and Wales, the will in effect becomes a public document once the succession is opened by the court. THE New York State Courts apply the same rule.
Several tools then make it possible to share access without giving it to a single person:
- Backup in multiple parts : Trezor allows you to cut the backup into several pieces, for example three out of five necessary.
- Multiple key safes : Casa, Unchained or Nunchuk distribute the keys between you, a loved one and the service provider. At the house of Casathe beneficiary waits six months of inactivity before being able to act.
- Built-in inheritance : BitkeyBlock’s wallet, also imposes a six-month wait. Uphold charges $19.99 per month for its service.
These services are paid for and are based in part on the trust placed in the service provider. Ledger Recover, often cited, safeguards the recovery sentence, but its conditions do not provide for transmission to heirs.
Heirs, targets of fake recovery services
Finally, a blocked crypto inheritance attracts scammers. The FBI warns against companies that promise to recover cryptos in exchange for payment in advance. According to his August 2023 reviewa private company cannot order the seizure of cryptocurrencies. The FTC, the American consumer protection authority, also advises never to pay someone who spontaneously offers this type of help.
For your loved ones, the only reliable route remains the platform itself, or the access that you have prepared for them. Our guide to the most secure crypto wallet details the storage options.
On July 16, 2026, the European Law Institute adopted model rules on digital successionwho cite cryptocurrencies. These rules will only apply if a national or European legislator takes them up.
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