What it means
Proof of wallet ownership shows that you control a particular address: that you hold its private key, rather than it belonging to someone else or to an exchange. It's different from proof of funds, which is about how much is in the wallet (anyone can look that up on a block explorer once they know the address is yours).
Who asks for it
- Exchanges and other crypto businesses, when you withdraw to (or deposit from) a wallet you hold yourself. In the EU, the Transfer of Funds Regulation requires crypto-asset service providers to take adequate measures to check that a self-hosted address is owned or controlled by their customer for transfers over €1,000. Many exchanges elsewhere ask as part of their own checks.
- OTC desks and brokers settling large trades, who want to know the receiving address is the client's.
- People paying you in crypto: an employer, client or buyer who wants to be sure an address isn't a typo or a scammer's.
- Peer-to-peer trades, escrow arrangements and marketplaces.
- Grants, DAOs, airdrops and allowlists that need to link a person or project to an address.
- Accountants, lawyers and auditors who need to confirm which holdings belong to a client.
The common methods compared
| Method | Cost and time | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot of your wallet app | Free, instant | Weak: easy to fake |
| Test payment ("Satoshi test"): send a tiny, specific amount from the address | Network fee, waits for confirmation | Good, but leaves a permanent on-chain trace and someone has to check it |
| Signed message | Free, instant | Strong: only the key holder can produce it |
| Ownership certificate (signed message, counter-signed, as a link) | One-off fee, about two minutes | Strong, and easy for anyone to check, any time |
What makes proof easy to accept
The person asking usually isn't a cryptographer. The best proof is one they can check in seconds, without installing anything, and without trusting the person who sent it. That's what a VerifiedWallet certificate is:
- A link (or an embeddable badge) showing the address, when it was signed and what was checked.
- Your wallet's own signature and our counter-signature, both checked in the viewer's browser against public keys. How to check one yourself.
- Optional identity verification, for when the other side needs to know who you are, not just that you hold the key.
- Works for Bitcoin, Ethereum and every EVM network, Tron and Solana.
Each exchange or business decides which evidence it accepts. A certificate is strong, independently checkable evidence of control, but it isn't a substitute for a firm's own compliance checks, and it isn't legal or financial advice.
Sign once with your wallet: free, no transaction. We counter-sign it and give you a link anyone can verify. From $1.
More guides
How to prove you own a Bitcoin address
Sign a message with the address's key: free, instant, nothing on the blockchain.
How to sign a message with a Bitcoin wallet
Step by step in Xverse, Electrum, Sparrow, Trezor, Ledger and Bitcoin Core.
BIP-322 vs BIP-137: Bitcoin message signing explained
Why there are two formats, which wallets use which, and why Taproot needs BIP-322.
How to prove you own an Ethereum wallet
One signed message, no gas, and it covers every EVM network at once.
Questions
Is proof of wallet ownership the same as proof of funds?
No. Ownership shows the address is yours; funds are the balance in it. Once ownership is proven, anyone can check the balance on a block explorer.
Why does my exchange want proof that my own wallet is mine?
Rules for crypto transfers (such as the EU's Transfer of Funds Regulation) require many exchanges to check that a self-hosted wallet belongs to their customer before larger transfers. A signed message or certificate is one of the quickest ways to show it.
Will my exchange accept a VerifiedWallet certificate?
Each exchange sets its own rules. A certificate gives them a signature they can check independently, which is the core of most ownership checks; ask them if you're unsure.