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Title: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: bitbudget on April 24, 2014, 05:40:30 AM Imagine there's a credible company that insures individual bitcoin accounts on various services like exchanges, wallets, pools etc.
Would you sign up? Discussion on Reddit http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/23sdtj/bitcoin_insurance_do_we_need_it Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: bitbudget on April 24, 2014, 06:19:52 AM Tester24834 > I think MANY would like this kind of service, including myself. I don't expect Bitcoin to be mainstream without insurance really.
It's why people use banks. Nobody is infallible, why not get a backup? Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: blacksails on April 24, 2014, 06:22:34 AM That would be a good thing IMO. However, I think that it's not very lucrative to insurance companies, since it would be very easy to "hack" your own account, and then get reimbursed from the insurance company. The company would probably go bankrupt pretty quick.
Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: bryant.coleman on April 24, 2014, 06:32:15 AM It is very difficult to track the bitcoin robberies. So the insurance companies will have a hard time in determining whether the alleged robbery is a fake one stage managed by the owner or not.
Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: bitbudget on April 24, 2014, 07:07:29 AM I think the safest way would be to only cover cases that don't depend upon customers' good intentions like
Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: 5flags on April 24, 2014, 07:16:29 AM How would an insurance company measure risk for an individual client?
There would have to be a Bitcoin Security Standard™ - some code of practice for companies holding Bitcoin. There would need to be regular, unannounced security audits, pen testing etc. It's not a trivial task. Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: Elwar on April 24, 2014, 07:27:33 AM This already exists. You can pay 2% to have your bitcoins in a Bitcoin vault.
Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: 5flags on April 24, 2014, 08:46:54 AM This already exists. You can pay 2% to have your bitcoins in a Bitcoin vault. Yes, but that's for cold storage, and it is much easier to quantify risk. It is the exchanges and web wallets themselves that would have to take out the insurance if this was to work. Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: bitbudget on April 24, 2014, 08:51:50 AM Ideally all major companies that deal with crypto must be insured. That way users would be able to differentiate between reliable businesses and scammers.
Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: 5flags on April 24, 2014, 08:56:01 AM Ideally all major companies that deal with crypto must be insured. That way users would be able to differentiate between reliable businesses and scammers. Which brings us back to the question; as an insurance company, how to I rate the risk of any one particular web wallet or exchange suffering a loss? Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: bryant.coleman on April 24, 2014, 01:45:30 PM This already exists. You can pay 2% to have your bitcoins in a Bitcoin vault. And how can you be sure that the coins are not going to be stolen from the Bitcoin vault. Will they refund the coins, if someone steals them? Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: bitbudget on April 24, 2014, 03:47:27 PM They probably provide some kind of legal contract at registration. Anyone tried that vault yet?
Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: gagalady on April 24, 2014, 04:19:57 PM It would be good for us, but I doubt there will be companies like that because they would probably go bankrupt. Maybe there will be few but that's risky business looking from the company operators side.
Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: bitbudget on April 24, 2014, 05:40:02 PM A company like that could compensate risks with higher premiums if they find customers willing to pay high premiums.
Title: Re: [research] Bitcoin insurance, do we need it? Post by: thresher on April 24, 2014, 06:00:47 PM Llyod's of London started out insuring cargo on ships (I believe, so don't tear me a new one.)
I can't imagine how many loads of cargo were lost in the 7th century, when there were no cameras, fingerprints, dna, etc, yet somehow Llyods is still around. I am aware they are not a "traditional" insurance company, but i'd imagine that's where bitcoin insurance would begin. |