A British Bitcoin investor recovered 61 bitcoins that had been inaccessible since the collapse of an early cryptocurrency exchange, after waiting 12 years. At current prices, this asset is worth approximately £3.3 million, or $5 million.
This investor is known publicly only by the name Chris. He purchased Bitcoin in 2011, investing approximately £1,500. A few weeks later, the value of his holdings began to rise. By the time the relevant trading platform encountered issues, the asset had grown to approximately £4,000.
After early exchanges collapsed, users lost access to withdrawal channels.
Chris stored his bitcoins through Intersango, an early UK-based cryptocurrency exchange. The platform became inaccessible after 2014, and users lost access to their funds. For many years since, he has attempted to recover the assets in his account but has been unsuccessful.
The lawyer completed the tracking based on on-chain records.
In 2026, Chris sought assistance from the UK law firm CEL Solicitors. The legal team gathered historical records and relevant documents to establish ownership of this batch of bitcoins.
During the on-chain tracking process, the team identified a wallet associated with the defunct exchange that held thousands of bitcoins. After months of effort, 61 bitcoins were ultimately returned to Chris. The recovery efforts were completed in May 2026.
- Initial investment of approximately £1,500
- The recovered amount is 61 BTC.
- Current valuation is approximately $5 million.
Asset values have significantly increased alongside the rise in Bitcoin.
According to the reported price, this original investment has now grown to approximately £3.3 million. The article states that Bitcoin is currently trading at around $78,000, with a slight increase over the past 24 hours.
Chris said he plans to use part of the funds to purchase a larger family home and hold the remainder.