British Man Recovers £3.3 Million Bitcoin Fortune After 12-Year Battle
A British man has finally recovered his £3.3 million Bitcoin fortune after a 12-year battle to regain access to his cryptocurrency holdings.
The individual, known only as Chris, initially invested approximately £1,500 in Bitcoin through Britcoin in 2011, when the asset was trading at just a few pounds per coin.
However, problems at Intersango, the exchange that later operated Britcoin, left him unable to access his funds. His holdings were valued at around £4,000 before the issues arose but had skyrocketed in value by 2026 to £3.3 million.
'It was a punch in the stomach watching Bitcoin go up and up,' Chris said. 'After a while, I stopped watching it because I thought: ‘there’s no point, it’s lost…' He eventually deleted emails from Intersango's co-founders asking him to make contact, believing them to be scams.
It wasn't until 2026 that Chris sought the help of CEL Solicitors, which specializes in cryptocurrency recovery and financial litigation. The lawyers gathered historical bank statements and court documents connected to proceedings in the United States to prove Chris's ownership of the Bitcoin.