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Ripple CEO on what's driving cryptocurrency. He says Facebook's Libra is the future. Lawmakers aren't so sure.
Gerald Cotten's sudden. › business › crypto-ceo-dies-holding-only-password.
Facebook unveils Libra, a new cryptocurrency. Here are the details. Winklevoss twins call crypto the 'ultimate social network'. JPMorgan launches crypto coin.
What is blockchain? What is an ICO? Many of the digital currencies held by Quadriga are stored offline in accounts known as "cold wallets," a way of protecting them from hackers. Cotten is the only person with access to the wallets, according to the company.
Bitcoin is 10 years old. But it won't go mainstream until it's regulated.
So just what is cryptocurrency, and how does it work? Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Some, however, have begun wondering whether this all is just part of a grand and fantastic scam. I'm kind of preparing for the worst. The route you take is completely up to you. Scaramucci: Bitcoin is due for a correction.
The unusual case highlights the risks investors face looking after their assets in the thinly regulated industry. Cotten's death has plunged Quadriga into crisis and left it struggling to figure out how to refund more than , of its users.
Nobody plans for that eventuality. And therefore, when that happens, maybe you haven't told your family members exactly how they should recover it. The scheme sees people carrying an "indestructible" card which has information about their cryptocurrency, as well as others they give to their beneficiaries. If the holder dies, their loved ones or an executor contacts the firm with a unique number on the card, along with a death certificate.
Coin Cover then investigates and retrieves the funds. Cryptocurrency is a type of money which is completely virtual, like an online version of cash which exists digitally.
While you can use some, such as Bitcoin, to buy products and services, not many shops accept it and some countries have banned it altogether. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are basically computer files which are stored in a digital wallet on a smartphone or computer. They can be sent between digital wallets, with every single transaction recorded on a list called the Blockchain. Some people like the fact cryptocurrencies are generally not controlled by the government or banks.
But is it secure? While every transaction is recorded, cryptocurrency can potentially be stolen if a thief were to get access to a wallet. It is possible to lose your Bitcoin wallet or delete your Bitcoins and lose them forever.
There have also been thefts from websites that let you store your Bitcoins remotely. David King, a wills, trusts and estates lawyer at Harrison Clark Rickerbys solicitors, said an increasing number of clients - currently about two in 10 - count cryptocurrency among their assets.
His firm saw a case where the family of a client, after his death, believed he had owned Bitcoin but were forced to drop it because they did not have the information to access it. There have been high-profile examples of cryptocurrency fortunes having been lost when the holder died. Unfortunately for QuadrigaCX's customers, Mr Cotten was the only person who had passwords to customers' digital wallets. A University of Cambridge study in estimated there were between 2.
Jack Davies, who works in the cryptocurrency industry, is one of the growing number of 18 to year-olds who own some form of the digital currency used online. He's now considering drawing up a will to ensure his digital assets are passed on to the right people, if he should die.