Gerald Cotten, the founder of Canada’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, QuadrigaCX, has died leaving investors unable to access their digital currencies.

Mr Cotten died unexpectedly in December 2018 aged just 30 and was, apparently, the only person with the passwords needed to access investors’ digital assets.

Hilesh Chavda of UK law firm Royds Withy King, who advises private clients on their digital assets and legacies, has warned that this case highlights that investors “need to be careful when investing significant sums of money in cryptocurrencies.”

He continued: “The fact that just one individua...