UK Investor Recovers £3.3M Bitcoin After 12-Year Legal Battle
A British investor identified as 'Chris' has successfully recovered his £3.3 million Bitcoin stash after a grueling 12-year legal battle to reclaim cryptocurrency lost when Intersango, the UK's first Bitcoin exchange, collapsed in 2014.
Chris initially purchased his first Bitcoin in December 2011 through Britcoin, which later became Intersango. His £1,500 investment grew significantly as the price of Bitcoin rose, but he lost access to his wallet when Intersango went offline and eventually dissolved in March 2016.
The recovery, completed in May 2026, was made possible by CEL Solicitors using specialist crypto-tracing software through its sister company, The Crypto Tracing Experts. Ryan Sweetnam, director of financial litigation at CEL Solicitors, explained that recovering crypto assets is a complex process, especially when dealing with cases involving exchange failures and defunct platforms.
The case highlights the challenges in cryptocurrency recovery and serves as a precedent for other users who lost access to their wallets due to exchange closures. According to estimates, between 3 and 4 million Bitcoin are locked forever, inaccessible due to lost private keys or recovery information.