An Argentinian (@marcebit) has offered a bounty of 0.5 BTC to anyone who can crack the password of an inaccessible wallet that has been locked for years. This initiative aims to recover access to the funds through external collaboration.
The Bitcoin Core wallet has been encrypted for over 12 years; the bounty increased from 0.23 to 0.5 BTC after a year without results. Marcelo R. Bianchi, an Argentinian expert in cryptocurrency wallet recovery, known on social media as @marcebit, published an open call offering 0.5 BTC — equivalent to approximately USD 31,000 — to anyone who can decipher the password of a Bitcoin Core wallet created in 2013.
According to Bianchi, the owner encrypted the wallet without paying attention to the process and, when trying to withdraw the accumulated funds, did not remember setting a password. According to Bianchi's post, the version of Bitcoin Core in use in 2013 suggested using a phrase of ten or more random characters, or eight or more words during encryption, although that requirement was not mandatory. The expert indicates that the owner believes the password could contain the words "wallet" or "billetera", which narrows down the search space for those attempting a brute-force recovery.
This is not the first time Bianchi has made this call public. In May 2025, he launched a similar request with a reward of 0.23 BTC — around USD 20,000 at that time — without obtaining results. In the current call, he stated that he increased the bounty to 0.5 BTC and warned that those who contribute significantly, even if they do not solve the case, could receive smaller donations.
#BTC $BTC
The Bitcoin Core wallet has been encrypted for over 12 years; the bounty increased from 0.23 to 0.5 BTC after a year without results. Marcelo R. Bianchi, an Argentinian expert in cryptocurrency wallet recovery, known on social media as @marcebit, published an open call offering 0.5 BTC — equivalent to approximately USD 31,000 — to anyone who can decipher the password of a Bitcoin Core wallet created in 2013.
According to Bianchi, the owner encrypted the wallet without paying attention to the process and, when trying to withdraw the accumulated funds, did not remember setting a password. According to Bianchi's post, the version of Bitcoin Core in use in 2013 suggested using a phrase of ten or more random characters, or eight or more words during encryption, although that requirement was not mandatory. The expert indicates that the owner believes the password could contain the words "wallet" or "billetera", which narrows down the search space for those attempting a brute-force recovery.
This is not the first time Bianchi has made this call public. In May 2025, he launched a similar request with a reward of 0.23 BTC — around USD 20,000 at that time — without obtaining results. In the current call, he stated that he increased the bounty to 0.5 BTC and warned that those who contribute significantly, even if they do not solve the case, could receive smaller donations.
#BTC $BTC