MV Capital | Uphold Launches Inheritance Service for XRP, Bitcoin and HBAR Holders

Uphold has rolled out Vault Inheritance, a $19.99 monthly service that lets customers designate beneficiaries to receive their crypto assets after death, backed by compliance verification to solve access issues for holdings valued at hundreds of billions

Uphold Expands Vault With New Inheritance Tools

Uphold announced on September 29 the addition of Vault Inheritance to its assisted self-custody wallet, enabling users to name a beneficiary who can claim Bitcoin, XRP and Hedera after the owner’s passing. The feature addresses a core challenge in cryptocurrency: legal ownership does not automatically grant spending authority because private keys remain tied to the deceased.

Customers access the option directly from the Vault dashboard, where they invite a beneficiary who receives setup instructions but gains no immediate control. The process requires no prior cryptocurrency experience from the recipient. Once the owner passes away, the beneficiary submits a claim along with legal documentation, and Uphold’s compliance team reviews it before releasing the assets into the recipient’s wallet.

This model builds on Uphold’s earlier support for the same assets. Vault first incorporated XRP in December 2023, added Bitcoin in April 2024 and now layers on formal inheritance planning. Current subscribers will see updated pricing effective after December 31, 2026.

The supported holdings are XRP, bitcoin (BTC),and Hedera (HBAR).Uphold Vault Inheritance

Pricing and Availability Details

The service carries a monthly fee of $19.99, including a free 30-day trial for U.S. users. Beneficiaries must create an Uphold account to receive the transfer, though the funds stay locked until the claim clears review.

Uphold positions the offering as a straightforward solution for a growing segment of crypto users who treat these assets as part of their broader wealth. The company notes that traditional accounts transfer ownership easily, but blockchain balances often remain unreachable without usable credentials.

Scale of Stranded Crypto Holdings

Uphold cited an estimate that nearly 4 million bitcoin, valued at around $331 billion, may be stranded in wallets due to owner deaths or lost access credentials. Separate analysis from bitcoin services provider River placed permanently lost bitcoin holdings at 1.57 million coins, with 98 percent of those losses occurring before 2020.

These figures reflect different categories. Inactive addresses can still belong to long-term holders, while missing private keys create true inaccessibility for heirs. The new service connects verified legal claims with the cryptographic authority needed to move the assets.

Nancy Beaton Comments on the Innovation

Nancy Beaton, Uphold’s president of consumer, highlighted the gap in existing offerings.

“Uphold Vault Inheritance gives our customers something major players in the industry haven’t offered before: a credible, straightforward way to ensure their crypto goes exactly where they intend it to.”Nancy Beaton, Uphold’s president of consumer

In another statement she noted that crypto has become integral to financial planning, yet few secure methods exist for passing it on, especially for XRP holders.

“Crypto has become a real part of how people build their financial future, but unlike traditional assets, there are few ways to pass it on securely — especially for XRP holders.”Nancy Beaton, Uphold’s president of consumer

The company launched Vault in late 2023 as a wallet that combines self-custody control with company support for replacing cryptographic keys and continued access to platform trading.

Comparison to Traditional Estate Planning

Unlike inheritance for stocks or bank accounts, cryptocurrency inheritance must bridge legal title and technical access. Past approaches often involved sharing seed phrases or passwords, which carried security risks. Uphold’s system shifts the responsibility to verified compliance processes that keep assets protected until the claim is approved.

The beneficiary gains full control only after transfer, preventing any early access while the owner remains alive. This setup helps families avoid the situation where heirs inherit ownership but cannot spend or manage the digital assets.