Guides · Engagement
How Does Cryptocurrency Recovery Work?
Cryptocurrency recovery, in the work BNG SOFTWARE does, starts with the records of the loss. The company checks whether those records can support a trace. Where they can, it writes up the path, the destinations the evidence supports, and the questions that stay open. A later approach to an exchange, a lawyer, or an authority is a separate step, taken by the client or by that adviser. Those parties decide what they will do. The company does not guarantee that assets will be returned.
What does a BNG-led technical path look like if you do not have a lawyer yet?
- Share the available transaction information. Explain the incident and provide relevant transaction hashes, wallet addresses, dates, or other records. We never request seed phrases or private keys.
- Assess the available evidence. We review the scope, data availability, potential tracing routes and limitations before confirming the proposed investigation.
- Receive structured findings. Where the case supports further analysis, you receive a documented report explaining relevant transactions, possible destinations, supporting evidence and unresolved questions.
You can instruct a lawyer later if you need legal advice, a filing, or representation. You can also involve a lawyer before step one. The division of roles is set out in Do I Need a Lawyer to Recover Stolen Cryptocurrency?
Do not send a seed phrase, a private key, or a password.
Request a Confidential Case Assessment
Where does a feasibility check sit in that sequence?
It is a narrow version of step two. The question is whether more work is rational. If the answer is no, that is a complete outcome. If the answer is yes, the wider investigation is a new scope, agreed before it starts.
How does the sequence change for a fund or a company?
The steps are the same, and the file is usually larger: several wallets, a bridge or a contract, internal approval to share records, and a need to brief counsel. An institutional review can also include a separate smart-contract or access-control scope when that is agreed. It does not replace the organisation's own compliance work. Confidentiality, and who may see drafts, should be written into the engagement.
What you will be asked for
Hashes, addresses, networks, dates, and the narrative of how the loss happened. Screenshots help when they show context, such as the page address and the time. Private keys, seed phrases, and passwords are refused, and anyone who asks for them in the name of tracing should not be paid.
What written findings contain
Relevant transactions, possible destinations, supporting evidence, and unresolved questions, with observations separated from hypotheses. The full description of the document is on What Is a Blockchain Forensic Investigation Report?
What may happen after the findings, only if agreed
- A report formatted so counsel can review it.
- Material that can accompany a request to a custodian. The limits of that route are in Can a Cryptocurrency Exchange Freeze Stolen Funds?
- A fee window under a qualifying agreement, for five years from the date both sides accept the investigation.
None of these is automatic, and none of them is a recovery.
How technology fits, in brief
BNG Atlas models addresses and transfers as a temporal graph. BNG Helix correlates swap and bridge events across networks. BNG Sentinel ranks candidate paths inside the company's own environment. BNG Citadel hashes evidence with SHA-256 at intake and isolates the case file. BNG Folio turns reviewed findings into the written report. An analyst reviews material findings. A model ranking is not the report.
If counsel, Swiss counsel, or an investigator is involved
If a lawyer instructs the work, the same three steps apply and the findings are written for that lawyer to evaluate. BNG SOFTWARE does not provide legal advice or legal representation. Where appropriate, the company may help clients identify independent legal professionals or law firms, including an independent Swiss lawyer or Swiss law firm, for separate engagement. Any legal services are provided independently under a separate agreement between the client and the legal professional. That is set out in Can a Swiss Lawyer Help Recover Stolen Cryptocurrency? An investigator or authority can ask for the technical steps as support for their own file, without BNG taking over any legal power.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a lawyer before I start?
Not for a technical review of records you already hold. BNG SOFTWARE does not provide legal advice or legal representation. Where appropriate, the company may help clients identify independent legal professionals or law firms for separate engagement. Any legal services are provided independently under a separate agreement between the client and the legal professional.
Will you log in to my exchange account?
Ordinary tracing does not need your exchange password or remote access to your computer. Be wary of anyone who asks for either.
What if the assessment shows little chance of a return?
Then the useful result is that conclusion, explained. You should not be moved into a larger engagement by default.
Can a company use the same process after a hack?
Yes. The scope is wider and is agreed separately. The limit on guarantees is the same.
When do I pay?
A qualifying recovery investigation may have no upfront forensic-report fee, with the fee payable only if the signed recovery condition is met. Other scopes are priced in writing before work begins.
Further reading
Confidential Case Intake
Request a confidential case assessment
Share a short description of what happened and any public transaction references you have. Please do not submit passwords, seed phrases, private keys or unnecessary identity documents through this form.