Cryptocurrency in a deceased estate: order, not shortcuts
Executors, administrators, and heirs sometimes discover that an estate includes cryptocurrency, and that the wallet, the exchange account, or the records are incomplete. The practice assists with the orderly recovery and transfer of those holdings.
Probate first, access second
Access to estate assets is subject to probate and other lawful authority. Inheritance is not a shortcut around those requirements, and no legitimate professional will treat it as one. Exchanges and custodians will require a grant of probate or letters of administration, a death certificate, and proof of the executor's identity before they discuss an account.
The practice prepares that correspondence, values the holdings for estate purposes, and manages the lawful transfer of assets to beneficiaries. Where holdings sit at overseas custodians, the practice coordinates with partner counsel, including Crypto Justice Legal in Switzerland, where the jurisdiction requires it.
What executors should and should not do
- Do secure devices, hardware wallets, and written records exactly as found
- Do not attempt passwords or move assets before authority is established
- Do gather exchange statements, emails, and purchase records
- Do not share any seed phrase found among papers with anyone by email or message
Typical estate matters
- An exchange account in the deceased's sole name
- A hardware wallet with partial records and no PIN
- Holdings across several chains that heirs cannot identify
- Valuation of digital assets for inheritance tax reporting
- Distribution of recovered assets to multiple beneficiaries
Estate matters move at the pace of probate. The practice keeps executors informed in writing at each stage.
An estate is a library with one borrower at a time
Until the grant of probate names the person entitled to act, nobody may borrow from the shelves, however close the family. That discipline protects the heirs as much as it slows them. The practice works inside it, never around it.
Written terms before any work begins
Estate succession matters are quoted individually. The written evaluation is free. Any engagement is documented in advance, and where a no win, no fee structure is appropriate it will be agreed in writing for that specific case. Read more about the no win, no fee model.