QuadrigaCX
Summary
QuadrigaCX was a Canadian cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2013 that collapsed in early 2019 following the death of its CEO Gerald Cotten in India in December 2018. The Ontario Securities Commission concluded in June 2020 that the exchange had operated as a fraud and Ponzi scheme, with Cotten using fictitious balances and customer funds for personal enrichment, causing losses of at least C$169 million across approximately 76,000 affected users.
Connected Entities
1 entities- + 7 more
Timeline(17 events)
2013-11-01
QuadrigaCX founded in Vancouver, British Columbia by Gerald Cotten and Michael Patryn
Wikipedia / Quadriga Fintech Solutions2018-04-01
Ernst and Young later determines that all six QuadrigaCX cold wallets were emptied by approximately this date, eight months before the exchange's collapse
Bitcoin News / EY trustee reports2018-11-27
Gerald Cotten signs a new will leaving all assets to wife Jennifer Robertson, twelve days before his death
NewsBTC2018-12-08
Gerald Cotten admitted to Fortis Escorts Hospital in Jaipur, India in septic shock
CoinDesk2018-12-09
Gerald Cotten dies at Fortis Escorts Hospital in Jaipur, India; cause recorded as cardiac arrest/septic shock
CoinDesk / CBC News2019-01-14
QuadrigaCX publicly announces inability to access cold wallets and discloses C$190 million shortfall; suspends operations
Global News2019-02-05
QuadrigaCX files for creditor protection under CCAA in Nova Scotia Supreme Court; Ernst and Young appointed monitor
Bitcoin Magazine2019-04-08
Ernst and Young appointed Trustee in Bankruptcy by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court
Norton Rose Fulbright2019-09-10
Quadriga case transferred to Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List)
Norton Rose Fulbright2019-10-01
Jennifer Robertson reaches settlement with bankruptcy trustee, surrendering approximately C$12 million in assets
CBC News2019-12-13
Lawyers for QuadrigaCX customers formally request RCMP exhume Gerald Cotten's remains to verify identity and cause of death
CBC News2020-06-11
Ontario Securities Commission publishes investigative report concluding QuadrigaCX was a fraud and Ponzi scheme operated by Gerald Cotten
OSC Official Announcement2022-01-27
QuadrigaCX co-founder Michael Patryn identified as '0xSifu,' pseudonymous treasury manager of DeFi protocol Wonderland, prompting that protocol's collapse
Amy Castor / David Gerard2022-03-30
Netflix releases documentary 'Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King' about the QuadrigaCX collapse
Wikipedia2023-03-01
Bankruptcy trustee declares first interim dividend to creditors at approximately C$0.13 per dollar of claim value
Wikipedia / Quadriga Fintech Solutions2024-03-28
British Columbia files unexplained wealth order against QuadrigaCX co-founder Michael Patryn, targeting approximately C$1 million in cash, gold, and luxury assets
CoinDesk / CBC News2025-12-08
British Columbia wins default judgment forfeiting Michael Patryn's seized cash and gold after Patryn declined to contest the action
CoinDeskDecision Log
- hash: 6pdJj6Y4AKXv9uWcfznLsY4fPPzrygSM1Gafu1nNwyNm
- hash: 6WjEJSm8mh16whrf9o6BsM6b2MgR2Tsnki2Lxxue9S8k
- hash: GvpSPZPdNA3FmC4RSkBFzeuJpMDaWh2jxKiB78uXnRKN
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 5/8/2026, 2:30:50 AM
last updated: 5/30/2026, 1:03:55 PM
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