Where was the crypto held?

One question decides almost everything after a death: where was the crypto held? Not what it is worth, where it lives. This page is the routing table: how the crypto was held and which additional context matters, what happens after a death, and the guide that covers it in depth. It is the sibling of what did you find?, which handles the other half: you found a physical something.

The routing table

Find the row that matches how the crypto was held. Each row shows what happens after a death and the guide that covers the situation in detail.

First determine the custody and access model (exchange or self-custody; hardware, software or smart-contract wallet). After that, additional circumstances may be relevant, such as DeFi positions, NFTs, a business situation or multiple jurisdictions. The rows below are therefore not mutually exclusive: an NFT can, for example, be held in self-custody, sit on a hardware wallet and be part of a cross-border business estate at the same time.

Storage method or situation	What this means after a death	Follow-up guide
On an exchange	The platform holds the keys; the estate follows the official procedure for customers who have passed away, with documents	Exchange accounts after a death
In a self-custody wallet (seed phrase, private key)	For self-custody, suitable access material is needed to act technically. Who may legally dispose of the assets must be established separately	Exchange account or self-custody?
In a hardware wallet (device)	Access may be possible, depending on the configuration, through a working device and valid PIN, or through suitable recovery material on compatible hardware or software; additional data, such as a passphrase or multisig configuration, may be needed	How to preserve a hardware wallet
In a software wallet or wallet app	Wallet files and passwords matter; old devices often still hold them	Old devices with a possible wallet
In DeFi positions (staking, lending, liquidity pools)	Positions keep functioning under the rules of the protocol concerned; depending on the position, rewards, lock-ups, unbonding, debt or liquidation risk may remain relevant	DeFi positions after a death
In NFTs	Distinct assets with their own marketplaces and wallets; collection access is the question	NFTs in an estate
In a smart-contract wallet (Safe, account abstraction)	The Safe itself has no seed phrase, but the wallets that control it may have one. So preserve all found wallets, devices and recovery material until it is clear how the Safe is set up	Smart-contract wallets
In a business estate (company or firm)	Business-held crypto: first establish whether the crypto was held privately or for the business, which legal form and agreements apply and who may act on behalf of the business. Have this confirmed where needed by an accountant, notary or business-law professional before following the technical route	Crypto in a business estate
Held across borders (more than one country)	More than one country is involved: which law applies, where the platform is, where the heir lives	Cross-border crypto estates
Held by someone else (custodian, adviser, family member)	The estate must establish what was held and request it through the custodian’s process	Getting help
Unknown	The search comes first: follow the structured search workbook before choosing a route	How to find crypto after a death

Why the routing matters

• Exchange-held crypto needs documents, not technical skills. The platform decides the process; do not log in without established authority, as this can create legal, security or evidence problems and may breach the provider’s terms.
• With self-custody, access depends on the wallet used and the recovery method set up. With some wallets, the recovery route lies entirely with the owner. With other modern wallets, an official account or recovery procedure from the provider can play a role. So first establish which wallet was used.
• DeFi and NFT positions keep functioning under their protocol’s rules. Depending on the position, lock-ups, unbonding, rewards or liquidation risk may remain relevant, so records and keys matter early.
• Business and cross-border holdings add a layer. The entity’s own rules and multiple jurisdictions come on top of the normal estate process.

See exchange account or self-custody? for the first branch, and what happens to crypto after a death for the overall process.

If you found a physical item

The routing table assumes you know where the crypto was held. If instead you are holding an object (a device, paper words, a USB stick, a QR code) the question changes to what did you find? Identify it first, before any route. See what did you find? and the wallet format library.

What this page is not

This page contains no advice about what to buy, sell or hold. It is a map: knowing where an asset lived tells you which official process applies, and the linked guides contain the details.