A British man, Chris, lost access to his digital wallet when the trading platform Intersango collapsed in 2014. At that time, the Bitcoin in the wallet was worth approximately £4,000. The platform had over 5,000 accounts and was not regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority.

He purchased about 61 Bitcoins through its predecessor Britcoin around December 2011, at a unit price of about £2.94, investing around £1,500. When he logged in in 2014, his account had been frozen. After years of unsuccessful attempts to contact the company, he gave up at one point, stating that the price surge felt like a heavy blow to the stomach.

This year, he hired a lawyer again, using nearly fifteen years of bank records, ownership documents, and related litigation materials from the U.S. to prove ownership. He officially commissioned on January 20, reached a settlement on May 28, and all 61 Bitcoins were transferred back to an address under his control, valued at approximately £3.33 million at that time, and about £3.3 million when reported.

The lawyer stated that the key was proving the purchase fact after many years, and the case was resolved through negotiation rather than court. Reports indicate that California's related procedures have opened a channel for former users to claim; it is believed that a large amount of Bitcoin still exists at the address of the platform's co-founder, and other former users may claim if they can provide sufficient proof of ownership. Chris plans to use part of the funds to improve his housing, while the rest will be held.

In market mechanisms, the buyer is the one who can re-identify the frozen coins through legal and on-chain tracing costs, while the seller is the coins that are dormant in the old exchange's controlled addresses. The event was driven by ownership evidence and settlement, with funds returning from uncontrolled wallets to personal addresses; benefiting are the former users who completed the materials, while under pressure are the old platform controllers who still hold customer coins but face claims.

Source: Public Information