&gt; &quot;I&#x27;m not sure what Bitcoin equivalent of &quot;leaving cash on the street&quot; you&#x27;re inferring. It might be helpful if you elaborated on that.&quot;<p>Bitcoins are a form of digital cash.<p>You store Bitcoins in a wallet. If you lose your Bitcoin wallet you lose your bitcoins. In a similar sense, if you lose your wallet containing notes&#x2F;coins, you lose your notes&#x2F;coins. The security risk is the same.