Bitcoin Suisse AG Polymer Wallets

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Vorderseite_Frontal_klein2Bitcoin Suisse AG is proud to present their exceptional product to the market. And Heliopay are very pleased to be bringing this superior wallet to the UK. Customers are now able to put a Bitcoin physically in their pocket. Combining old and new technology, it is a printed Bitcoin certificate, commonly referred to as a paper wallet, in the shape of an early 20th century bank note. But unlike self-printed paper wallets, it is a professional product with a much higher degree of security and features.

Background: For the storage and use of Bitcoin, one needs a ‘wallet’ – a digital representation of a leather note holder. It’s most important property is the private key(s) it contains – similar to the key for a Safe. Only the person who holds/knows the private key, can access the stored crypto-assets associated with that key and move or use them for payments etc.. It is thus very important to keep the private keys associated with one’s digital assets secret and safe, because he who holds the key, has full control of the assets!
There are numerous possibilities on how to store ones private keys. In the age of cyber-crime, one of the safest is to store the keys offline – as far away from the internet as possible, and only bring the assets online as needed. One way to store ones keys offline is to print them – and this is called a “paper wallet” (regardless of the material). Then all one has to deal with in terms of security risks, is losing the paper wallet itself.

The Bitcoin certificates of Bitcoin Suisse AG offers this well proven and convenient way of storing digital assets, a way which people have grown accustomed to in the course of centuries, through letters of credit and later bank notes.

BacksideOur high quality product is made of special polymer paper, which is extremely durable and wear resistant and a lot of effort has been put into making it forgery proof. It comes in an outstanding, classic and distinctly Swiss design and we guarantee that the private key nested inside was created 100% offline, and that during production, it was never visible to any personnel involved in the production process, nor duplicated, stored or made available for any 3rd party.

The private key is printed on a strip of plastic, covered with a scratch-off layer, and is placed and fastened within the certificate between several layers of plastic and metal foil. By opening the certificate and removing the scratch-off layer, the holder can access the private key in the common WIF format (represented alpha-numerically and as a QR code) and thus the sole beneficiary of the Bitcoins associated with that key.

Due to the numerous layers and other safety features, the certificate can only be opened once. Closing it again in a neat fashion is impossible, as the process of opening it intentionally leaves clear traces. Among the many security features, the certificates are embossed with the company seal and each certificate features a Bitcoin Suisse hologram. Each certificate is a genuine and individual item with its unique serial number and distinct surface structure – similar to a fingerprint.

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We use classical Swiss iconography and common western European currency symbols in the design:

  • The front side is decorated with an artists rendering of the sitting Helvetia as used on the 1873 minted gold franc (Vreneli). Helvetia is the female personification of Switzerland.
  • The weave pattern in the background is decorated with the flower Rhododendron ferrugineum (Alpenrose), which is also decorating the hair of Helvetia in Swiss coins and elsewhere.
  • The binary number repeated in the background of the certificates – 11010 – represents the number 26, which is the number of cantons in Switzerland, similar to the starts on Swiss coins.
  • Oak leaves are traditional symbols for the silver standard and have formerly been on all silver coins of western European nations, and till this very day, on the Swiss Franc coins.
  • Wheat is a symbol of wealth.
  • Laurels leaves symbolize victory, wealth and favour.

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Bitcoin Certificates have the following value-adding features:

  • Printed on synthetic polymer paper, resistant to water, wear and tear.
  • Printed in extremely high resolution, only available on high-end industrial machinery.
  • Equipped with hologram, featuring the Bitcoin Suisse logo.
  • One-sided embossing of the company seal.
  • X-ray, Ultrasound and probe proof private key.
  • Usage of metallic silver ink on the bill, which cannot easily be replicated.
  • Field which is to be opened to access the private key cannot be re-closed without clear signs of tampering.
  • Matrix printed QR-code of the Bitcoin address – with unique fingerprint properties, is visible on the outside of the bill.
  • Individual serial numbers identify the certificate – and contain encoded information as to date and year of production, number of bill, series, nominal value and other information.
  • Issued by a reputable and regulated Swiss company, which has been in business for (in crypto currency terms) a long time.
  • Extreme care taken during offline generation of keys. High quality random seeds used. Keys are never visible to the production staff, nor anyone else. Always at least two Bitcoin Suisse employees present during handling of keys.
  • Bitcoin Suisse register the unique fingerprint of each bill – along with the TxId (transaction ID) associated with the loading of the certificate. These data are to be published in an accessible register to ensure that people can trust that certificates obtained from 3rd party are genuine and loaded.