Bitcoin billionaire Mircea Popescu died leaving behind a fortune of $ 2 billion

Mircea Popescu, a controversial Bitcoin billionaire, is mysteriously dead. He left a huge fortune in cryptocurrencies worth $ 2 billion. Some speculate that it could be lost forever.

What happened?

According to local news, Popescu was one of the most important Bitcoin holders in the world. Last week he drowned while taking a swim.

Popescu was reportedly "run over and killed on the spot by the current".

Three women who were close to him confirmed his death, but others raised doubts as to whether he actually died.

His website, which he used to actively maintain, has not been updated since his death on June 23, according to reports.

Popescu, a controversial figure, had "documented cases of sexism, fanaticism" according to Nasdaq.com. It was believed to have at least tens of thousands of Bitcoins. Some estimates even higher.

Based on Bitcoin's peak price in April, the lower bound of these estimates would bring Popescu ownership to nearly $ 2 billion. His holdings, based on Bitcoin's current price, would have been closer to $ 1 billion.

It is unclear who has access to its digital assets. Cryptocurrency watchers speculate that luck could be lost.

This teaches that sometimes investing early can lead to great future earnings. Many are realizing this now, and more companies are gearing up to use bitcoin. For example, it is now possible to buy Bitcoin with PayPal.

Why could Bitcoins be lost?

Alexander Marder, a research analyst at Crypto Briefing, said on Twitter that Popescu's bitcoins could be lost forever along with John McAfee, the pioneer of antivirus software, hanged in a Spanish prison cell.

Mircea Popescu's Bitcoin fortune may be inaccessible and gone forever.

Anthony Pompliano (founder of Pomp Investments) is a well-known Bitcoin supporter, said in a now-deleted Tweet that the loss of Popescu could be a boon to other holders of the cryptocurrency.

Why could it be an advantage for other investors?

“Mircea Popescu is dead. Chances are he owned quite a lot of bitcoin, ”Pompliano said in a deleted Tweet since June 27, 2017. We may never know the exact amount or if they are lost forever. But it reminds me of what Satoshi said: “Lost coins make coins only slightly more valuable than everyone else. It is a donation for everyone ”.

Pompliano seemed to refer to a quote attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto. This pseudonym was used by an anonymous person or group who created Bitcoin.

Others in the cryptocurrency world have mourned Popescu's death. Popescu was a Bitcoin pioneer who was also one of the first to adopt it.

Pete Rizzo, editor of Bitcoin Magazine, noted that Popescu was called "The Father of Bitcoin Toxicity".

Popescu's most important crypto firm was arguably MPex, a self-styled Bitcoin securities exchange that it started in 2012.

According to the emails, Popescu himself revealed that the Securities and Exchange Commission investigated MPex in 2014.