Casa, a leading provider of self-custodial digital asset solutions, is taking a significant step forward by making its innovative inheritance product available to customers worldwide.
This move aims to address what Casa identifies as the most pressing issue in self-custody: ensuring the safe transfer of digital assets, such as bitcoin, ether, and stablecoins USDT and USDC, to heirs.
Simplifying Crypto inheritance
The Casa Inheritance feature offers a streamlined approach to passing on digital assets. It stands as a robust alternative to traditional methods involving custodial providers or hardware wallets, which are often criticized for their vulnerability to loss. The company highlights a staggering $140 billion in bitcoin lost, largely due to misplaced keys, underscoring the need for a more secure solution.
Previously exclusive to U.S. investors with significant bitcoin investments,the company’s expanded service builds upon its multi-key vault technology. This technology allows members to set up secure, conditional access to their digital vault for a chosen recipient, such as a family member, trustee, or estate executor, starting at $250 per year.
How Casa inheritance works
Casa’s multi-key vaults enhance security by distributing control over assets across up to five keys, offering a more secure alternative to single-key solutions. This setup was extended last year to include ether and stablecoins alongside bitcoin, in response to client demand and technical advancements in Ethereum support.
The multi-signature (multisig) approach requires approvals from multiple devices for transactions, safeguarding funds even if one key is compromised. Casa also provides an emergency recovery service, holding a backup key for users, adding an extra layer of security.
To utilize the inheritance feature, members grant conditional access to their vault and share encrypted, locked keys with a designated recipient through the Casa app. In the event of the member’s incapacitation, the recipient can initiate a transfer request. This request triggers a six-month waiting period, during which Casa attempts to notify the member of the pending transfer. Only after this period does the recipient gain access to the vault.
Beyond spot ETFs
Casa’s commentary on the recent launch of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs is critical, noting that while these funds offer a convenient way to include bitcoin in retirement accounts or other regulated investment vehicles, they miss out on bitcoin’s core value proposition as truly ownable digital money. This, according to Casa, can only be fully realized through self-custody.
The company also points out the centralization risks associated with spot Bitcoin ETFs, many of which rely on a single custodian, such as Coinbase, for the custody of bitcoin. Casa co-founder and CEO Nick Neuman emphasizes the growing trend among sophisticated investors towards self-custody for safeguarding generational wealth, especially for those viewing bitcoin as a long-term hedge against the financial system. Casa’s global expansion of its inheritance solution marks a critical development in the digital asset space, offering a secure and user-friendly option for managing the transfer of crypto assets across generations.