British Investor Recovers $4.5 Million in Lost Bitcoin After 12-Year Wait

A British investor has recovered 61 Bitcoin after more than 12 years of being unable to access his holdings. The investor, identified as 'Chris', had originally spent £1,500 on Bitcoin in December 2011 through the early UK exchange Britcoin, which later became Intersango.

Intersango stopped providing trading services and disappeared from the internet by early 2014, leaving Chris without access to his Bitcoin. At the time, Chris's holdings were worth around £4,000.

Cel Solicitors recovered the assets after combining cryptocurrency tracing technology with documents showing that Chris had purchased the Bitcoin. The firm used banking documents dating back almost 15 years, as well as exchange emails and account-registration messages, to prove Chris's ownership of the funds.