What’s Casa Bitcoin?

Description

One of the significant challenges in the Bitcoin ecosystem is the secure storage and management of private keys. With traditional methods, you often face risks such as hacking, loss of keys, and the complexities of inheritance planning. Casa, a US-based Bitcoin self custody company, aims to solve these issues by providing user-friendly, yet highly secure, solutions for Bitcoin self-custody.

What Casa Bitcoin Offers

Casa core services are designed to help individuals, private clients, and institutions securely store and manage their Bitcoin. Primary services include:

• Casa Vaults: Vaults offer a multi-key security system for Bitcoin investors, with configurations to suit different protection needs. The 3-key vault, ideal for individual investors, and 5-key vault, designed for families, both include a mobile key, Casa Recovery Key, and at least one hardware wallet. Users can now opt for a YubiKey instead of a hardware wallet, further expanding their security options.
• Multi-key Security: Casa utilizes a multi-signature system for its Vaults, requiring multiple keys to access your Bitcoin. Multisig wallets significantly enhances security compared to traditional single-key wallets.
• Hardware Wallet Integration: Casa works with popular hardware wallets to provide an extra layer of protection.
• Shared Accounts: With a shared account, you and a loved one can manage keys, sign and verify transactions. Both individuals have equal rights to the account, ensuring smooth transfer of ownership in the event of death. If a key is lost or compromised, Casa assists in recovering access and transferring assets to a new keyset using the Casa Recovery Key.
• Bitcoin Pay: Casa members can use a straightforward mobile wallet called Pay for smaller transactions. This feature secures funds with just one key, enabling you to sign transactions swiftly and easily.
• Inheritance Planning: Casa assists in creating plans for transferring your Bitcoin to heirs or designated beneficiaries.
• YubiKey: Casa allows you to secure your Bitcoin keys with a YubiKey. These small hardware devices, known as security keys, are commonly used for multi-factor authentication (MFA). YubiKeys handle TOTP codes and can sign, encrypt, and decrypt messages.
• Expert Guidance: Casa offers support and advice to help you navigate the complexities of Bitcoin self-custody.

How Does Casa Inheritance Work?

Casa Bitcoin Inheritance allows you to grant access to your assets directly from your phone. Your family won’t need to handle a hardware wallet unless you choose for them to do so. This process does not require any Personal Identifiable Information (PII) or Know Your Customer (KYC) data collection—just an email address for your designated Recipient.

All assets held in Casa vaults, including bitcoin and stablecoins, are eligible for Casa Inheritance. This feature is included with all Casa memberships, which can be paid for using either fiat currency or bitcoin.

Casa does not verify the death of the Vault Owner. Instead, a 6-month verification period is implemented during which you can reject any request for vault access made by your designated Recipient. Throughout this period, you will receive monthly notifications if your Recipient requests access. You can reject this request at any point within the 6-month window.

Supported Hardware Wallets and Devices

Casa supports a variety of hardware wallets, including Trezor, Coldcard, Ledger, Foundation Passport, Keystone, and YubiKey. This broad compatibility ensures that users can choose the hardware that best fits their needs and preferences.

Casa Bitcoin Fees

Casa offers four tiers of service plans to cater to different levels of asset protection needs:

Is Casa Safe for Bitcoin?

Yes, Casa is a non KYC secure option for Bitcoin self-custody. When you use a Casa vault, you gain full control of your keys, eliminating the need to trust a risky exchange or custodian. Self-custody is particularly appealing to Bitcoin investors who want total control over their funds. With Casa vaults, your keys are held in cold storage, except for the mobile key.

Cold storage is crucial because it keeps your keys offline and unable to broadcast transactions until you are ready. Unlike traditional Bitcoin wallets, where a lost key means lost funds, Casa vaults allow you to replace a compromised key and retain full control over your digital assets.

An unfortunate occurrence in the Bitcoin world is when hardware wallet manufacturers release firmware updates that accidentally wipe your device clean, erasing your Bitcoin key. Casa vaults prevent such device failures from wiping out your assets. Casa Bitcoin vaults enable you to distribute your keys across multiple locations, ensuring your digital assets are not at the mercy of a single key. This distribution is beneficial for both self-custody and collaborative custody, where you hold your keys with one or more parties.

The Casa Recovery Key adds an extra layer of security for your digital assets. This key is one of the keys in your vault that can sign and send transactions in the Casa app. The key itself is held by Casa but cannot be used to send funds on its own.

If Casa goes bankrupt and the Casa Recovery Key is not available, you can use the Sovereign Recovery feature to create a transaction outside the Casa app by utilizing open-source, third-party tools such as Electrum.

Casa Supported Countries

Casa’s services are available to users worldwide, with some exceptions. Please contact them for the most up-to-date information on supported countries.

Casa Alternatives

The following are other Bitcoin custody solutions besides Casa:

• Unchained Capital
• unchuk
• BitGo
• Gemini
• Ledger Enterprise

Is Casa Good for Bitcoin Custody?

In the decentralized and largely unregulated world of Bitcoin, security is a major concern. With the increasing value of digital assets, hackers and other malicious actors are constantly looking for ways to exploit vulnerabilities and steal your hard-earned Bitcoin. Traditional Bitcoin exchanges and Bitcoin wallets often lack robust security measures, leaving users exposed to significant risks.

Casa has been offering robust Bitcoin custody solutions and Bitcoin inheritance plans to individuals, families, and institutions around the world since 2016, providing an extra layer of security and peace of mind for Bitcoin holders.

One notable aspect of Casa is that it doesn’t require Know Your Customer (KYC) information for all its plans or inheritance beneficiaries, making it a more private option for those who prioritize their anonymity.

However, if dealing with a Bitcoin-only company is important to you, note that unlike Bitcoin-only custody solutions such as Unchained Capital, Casa supports other cryptocurrencies besides Bitcoin.