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Collaborative security

When a signer changes

A clear public procedure for companies, SMSFs, trusts, and family offices. Planned role change first. Roles and records, never recovery words.

Procedure

The public steps

This is the published TBA procedure for companies, SMSF trustees, trusts, and family offices. It is education for the entity's own advisers, not a drill and not a claim that TBA tests recovery.

  1. 1. Plan the role change

    Record who is leaving a signing role, who will take it, and when the change takes effect. Use role titles, never recovery words, seeds, keys, PINs, or backup locations.

  2. 2. Retire the old key

    Remove the departing person's key from the live signing arrangement so that key can no longer take part in a transaction.

  3. 3. Add the new signer

    Onboard the new role holder with their own key. Confirm the organisational approvals for the change before the new vault is used.

  4. 4. Move to a new vault

    Move the holding to a new vault that does not include the retired key. Keep the old vault records for audit.

  5. 5. Update the register and the minutes

    Update the signer register and record the change in the governing body's minutes or resolutions. Keep the previous register with the archive.

  6. 6. Temporary unavailability

    When a signer is temporarily unavailable, follow the same documentation path for any interim cover. Do not share seeds or move keys casually to fill a gap.

Ownership

Who holds what

The legal owner holds the bitcoin. People hold shares, units, or membership interests in that owner. A change of directors, trustees, or family members is a change of who acts for the owner, not a change of who owns the bitcoin on-chain, until the vault and the register are updated.

For family succession when someone can no longer act, start with the entity holds the bitcoin and the existing estate planning pages. Do not treat this page as a death procedure.

Related: corporate bitcoin treasury, continuity, family office checklist, CBO board pack, CBO treasury policy.

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