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Laptop likely holds key to missing $180 million in cryptocurrency: experts
HALIFAX — In an office in Toronto, there’s a laptop that could contain the keys to unlock $180 million in digital assets — virtual money possibly lost after the recent death of the whiz kid who founded one of Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.
Gerald Cotten, a 30-year-old Nova Scotia resident and CEO of QuadrigaCX, was travelling in India on Dec. 9 when he died suddenly. His widow, Jennifer Robertson, has said Cotten was the only person with access to the laptop and the digital keys to the so-called cold wallets that are believed to hold the missing Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.
Experts in the cryptocurrency industry say there’s a slim chance technicians will be able to recover the currency. About 115,000 platform users are owed about $180 million in cryptocurrency and another $70 million in cash.
Manie Eagar, CEO of Vancouver-based DigitalFutures, says Cotten’s computer is probably protected by some form of digital security, but that barrier could be overcome with the right tools.