The Bitcoin inheritance gap between a will and a wallet

An executor can know that an estate owns Bitcoin and still have no way to move it. An exchange can ask for proof of authority and transfer a balance under its procedures. A wallet controlled by the deceased person’s keys needs a separate path to produce a valid signature. Summary An estate can establish entitlement to Bitcoin before it has the practical means to move it. The handover depends on who holds the keys and how the wallet is configured. Coinbase’s deceased-account process gives claimants a route to prove authority over assets the exchange holds. A wallet controlled separately from the account does not follow that procedure. A hardware wallet, its PIN and a backup serve different purposes. A passphrase or additional signer can still be needed even when the executor finds the device or recovery material. Casa’s Standard inheritance arrangement divides access across keys and gives the recipient a way to request access. The documented verification period can extend the timetable after an owner dies. An estate inventory can help the executor locate assets without exposing signing material. Separate records can show the value recorded for the estate and the amount later transfe...