Speech by Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court: cryptoassets as property – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

‘Sir Geoffrey Vos, Chancellor of the High Court, gave a speech to the Joint Northern Chancery Bar Association and University of Liverpool Lecture, entitled: “Cryptoassets as property: how can English law boost the confidence of would-be parties to smart legal contracts?” ‘

Full speech

Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, 3rd May 2019

Source: www.judiciary.uk

City watchdog steps up its inquiries into ‘crypto’ firms – Daily Telegraph

‘As the price of the controversial “cryptocurrency” Bitcoin plunges, new figures show that the City watchdog is stepping up its investigations into the murky sector.’

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Daily Telegraph, 25th November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Tighter regulation of cryptoassets coming in the UK – OUT-LAW.com

‘The regulation of cryptoassets is likely to get tighter in the UK, starting from next year, according to a new report by a body tasked with exploring whether new rules are needed to address their growing popularity.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 31st October 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Bitcoins and hiding wealth in divorce – Family Law

Posted May 8th, 2018 in cryptocurrencies, divorce, financial provision, internet, news by sally

‘Divorce ends the marriage but does nothing to end the financial arrangements between the parties. If the parties cannot agree these, and as part of court proceedings to determine who gets what, the parties have to provide full and frank disclosure to the other of their entire financial means. This procedure allows the parties to be open and transparent about the extent of the assets in the marriage. There could be a situation arising whereby a party seeks to hide their wealth but evidence provided with disclosure such as bank statements in paper form provides a paper trail and this makes for the hiding of cash movements very difficult. But what if that party holds Bitcoins or other crypto-currencies?’

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Family Law, 4th May 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Divorce in the era of cryptocurrency: Bitcoin and non-disclosure – Family Law

Posted January 11th, 2018 in cryptocurrencies, disclosure, divorce, fees, internet, news by tracey

‘Bitcoin is a form of digital currency developed in 2009. It is created and held electronically in a decentralized system meaning that no one and no government controls it. Bitcoins aren’t printed but are ‘mined’ by both people and businesses using software that solves complex mathematical problems. Prone to volatility, Bitcoin hit the news last month after it reached an all-time high then dropped in value by almost 20% in a time period of only 90 minutes. Despite its erratic nature, the interest and investment in Bitcoin is rapidly growing and with more people holding Bitcoin, it is likely to be a far more common asset in divorce proceedings. Further, the extra privacy given to Bitcoin holders, as opposed to those who hold money in a bank, has led to many discussions on whether it will be the case that non-disclosers in divorce proceedings will increasingly try to hide assets through Bitcoin.’

Full Story

Family Law, 11th January 2018

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Bitcoin, blockchain and smart contracts: consequences for family law in the not too distant future – Family Law Week

‘Byron James barrister, Expatriate Law (United Arab Emirates) considers the possible implications of bitcoin, bitchain and other developments on financial remedy cases.’

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Family Law Week, 13th December 2017

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Bitcoin: UK and EU plan crackdown amid crime and tax evasion fears – The Guardian

‘The UK and other EU governments are planning a crackdown on bitcoin amid growing concerns that the digital currency is being used for money laundering and tax evasion.’

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The Guardian, 4th December 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

The New POCA Frontier: Bitcoin and Electronic Currency, Shaping Asset Recovery in the 21st Century – Drystone Chambers

‘The question of whether the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) can be used to deal with Bitcoins¹ and electronic currencies has been the subject of some speculation by specialist practitioners recently. In my view it can be utilised, but it is not ideal. I will not deal with the technical difficulties in finding bitcoin accounts; what I will concentrate on in this article is finding the correct legal tools to recover the assets and what other options are available when it does not work.’

Full Story

Drystone Chambers, 23rd October 2017

Source: drystone.com

University lecturer jailed after using bitcoins to buy drugs over ‘dark web’ that led to friend’s death – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 6th, 2017 in cryptocurrencies, drug offences, internet, news, sentencing, teachers, universities by tracey

‘A university lecturer has been jailed after buying a cocktail of drugs over the “dark web” that led to the death of his friend.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th April 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Bitcoins and the dark net: a virtual reality that every divorce practitioner should know about – Family Law Week

Posted November 26th, 2015 in cryptocurrencies, divorce, financial provision, internet, news by tracey

‘Byron James, barrister, Fourteen considers the possible significance of the dark net and bitcoins in financial remedies cases.’

Full story

Family Law Week, 23rd November 2015

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Bitcoin: Government to regulate cryptocurrency to avoid money laundering, says Treasury – The Independent

Posted March 19th, 2015 in banking, consultations, cryptocurrencies, money laundering, news, reports by sally

‘The Government is to regulate bitcoin exchanges to stop their use as money laundering hubs, the Treasury said today.’

Full story

The Independent, 18th March 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk