Bitcoin billionaire dies, fortune in limbo
Mircea Popescu
A 41-year-old man who was worth billions in Bitcoin reportedly drowned in the waters off of Costa Rica and now there are questions about whether his fortune can ever be accessed.
Mircea Popescu drowned in Playa Hermosa de Garabito, Puntarenas last Wednesday morning, according to a local news site. He had reportedly gone into the water to swim at about 8:30 in the morning and was swept away by the current.
The area is not a recommended swimming area.
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Popescu had between $1 and $2 billion in Bitcoin. It is unclear who, if anyone, has access to his digital assets. Some in the industry are speculating that the fortune could be gone forever.
HOW DO YOU ACCESS BITCOIN?
Bitcoin owners traditionally use private digital keys to access their bitcoin wallets. Bitcoins are not physical money but are digital in nature. If you lose your digital key (basically a password) there is no way to recover your Bitcoins.
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The decentralized digital currency can be mined, a process that is costly and becoming more difficult, or someone can buy them through a cryptocurrency exchange.
In June, El Salvador became the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender.
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