By Susie Violet Ward · Forbes · 18 November 2024
Bitkey, the self-custody wallet built by Block, Inc., has introduced an inheritance feature, launching widely in January 2025, that lets customers pass their bitcoin to a beneficiary without giving up self-custody. Users invite a beneficiary through the Bitkey app, and beneficiaries cannot access the wallet or see how much they stand to inherit. Claims are subject to a six-month waiting period, during which the benefactor is notified and can cancel fraudulent or accidental claims.
Bitkey uses a multi-signature design with three keys, held in the hardware wallet, in the mobile app and on Block’s server. Recovery requires two of them, so users keep control even if Block were to go out of business. Jason Karsh, Business Lead for Bitkey, says the aim is to make self-custody accessible to people who are not technically savvy. The article compares Bitkey with Unchained, Casa, Trezor, Ledger and Electrum.