What to do when a Bakkt account holder dies

Contact Bakkt — 6-step process, 5 required documents, and varies; most consumers now interact with bakkt through partner platforms, so timelines depend on the partner's estate claim process

Bakkt

Subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (majority shareholder)

bakkt.com
Bakkt logo

Bakkt Customer Support

Mailing Address

Bakkt, Inc., 10000 Avalon Boulevard, Suite 1000, Alpharetta, GA 30009

Crypto Support Email

Bakkt Customer Support

Mailing Address

Bakkt, Inc., 10000 Avalon Boulevard, Suite 1000, Alpharetta, GA 30009

Crypto Support Email

Bakkt Crypto / Legacy Consumer Support

Mailing Address

Bakkt, Inc., 10000 Avalon Boulevard, Suite 1000, Alpharetta, GA 30009

Verified Jul 2026

After an account holder at Bakkt dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact Bakkt's Bakkt Crypto / Legacy Consumer Support at (800) 322-1719 with the proper legal authority documents.

Before contacting Bakkt, have the account holder's full name, date of birth, and any available account numbers ready. A certified death certificate is required to initiate the claim.

Death claim process

The death claim process at Bakkt works as follows:

Filing a claim

1
Bakkt does not hold consumer accounts directly. If you held crypto through a platform powered by Bakkt (such as Public.com or Nexo), contact that platform's customer support to initiate the death claim process.
2
If you believe the deceased held a legacy Bakkt consumer account (discontinued March 2023), contact Bakkt customer support:
  • Call (800) 322-1719 (Monday-Sunday 7:00am-11:59pm ET)
  • Or email help@bakkt.com
3
Provide the deceased account holder's full legal name, email address associated with the account, and date of death
4
Submit a certified copy of the death certificate
5
Provide documentation establishing your legal authority over the estate:
  • Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration issued by a probate court
  • Court order or Small Estate Affidavit if applicable under state law
6
Bakkt support will verify the documentation and provide instructions for any remaining asset transfer or liquidation

Required Documents

  • Certified copy of the death certificate
  • Government-issued photo ID for the personal representative or executor
  • Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court
  • Court order or Small Estate Affidavit (if applicable)
  • Documentation linking the deceased to the Bakkt account (email address, account confirmation)

What to know at this institution

Bakkt discontinued its consumer app in March 2023 and no longer maintains individual consumer accounts. Consumers who traded crypto through Bakkt-powered partner platforms (e.g., Public.com, Nexo) should contact that partner directly for estate claims; the partner controls the account, the death-claim process, and any beneficiary or trust-titling options. The (800) 322-1719 number and help@bakkt.com are the Bakkt Crypto / legacy consumer support contacts still referenced by partner Public.com for reaching Bakkt Crypto support and by third-party sources; Bakkt's own bakkt.com/contact page is a B2B inquiry form only and the help.bakkt.com Help Center is Cloudflare-gated, so these contacts could not be confirmed on a live, publicly reachable Bakkt page. No beneficiary designation, POD, TOD, or trust retitling features were ever offered for Bakkt consumer accounts, and crypto held directly with Bakkt would pass through probate under the personal representative's authority.

Download instructions for the whole estate

Prepare your letter of instruction to Bakkt

Bakkt accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Bakkt's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.

Build your letter of instruction

How long the process takes at Bakkt: Varies; most consumers now interact with Bakkt through partner platforms, so timelines depend on the partner's estate claim process. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.

Bakkt requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the personal representative or executor, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court, and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.


Frequently asked questions

If the deceased held crypto through a partner platform that uses Bakkt's infrastructure (such as Public.com or Nexo), contact that platform's customer support directly to initiate the death claim process. Bakkt does not manage consumer accounts or estate claims for partner platform users.

No. Bakkt never offered beneficiary designation, payable-on-death, transfer-on-death, or trust-titling features on its discontinued consumer accounts, and it no longer holds consumer accounts at all. Crypto held through a Bakkt-powered partner platform (such as Public.com or Nexo) follows that partner's estate procedures, which generally rely on probate or the partner's own beneficiary or trust options. To plan for crypto in an estate, check whether the partner platform that actually holds the assets supports beneficiary designation or trust titling, since Bakkt itself does not.

Bakkt's Bakkt Crypto / Legacy Consumer Support can be reached by phone at (800) 322-1719 and email at help@bakkt.com for questions throughout the claims process.

SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·

Sources

Data sourced from Bakkt primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.

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