Bloomsbury Professional Law Insight - Cryptocurrency in Matrimonial Finance

Cryptocurrency in Matrimonial Finance examines the developing and specialist area of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in the context of matrimonial finance proceedings in England and Wales. Cryptocurrencies are becoming increasingly mainstream and going forward there will be cases in which issues arise as to how such currencies should be valued or how they should be shared (if a straight division is not possible).

The work is split into two parts, the first half of the book provides a primer on cryptocurrency, blockchain etc, and the latter focuses on the role and impact of that type of asset in matrimonial finance litigation.

The work firstly considers the legal status of cryptocurrencies and the key participants in the cryptocurrency market. It analyses what cryptocurrencies are, how they are held by their owners, and what to do when they are identified in the course of matrimonial finance litigation.

The second part of the work summarises the key principles of English family finance and the operation of the family court. It provides a detailed analysis of cryptocurrencies as a specific type of matrimonial asset, before exploring familiar litigation scenarios such as applications for freezing and disclosure orders. It also addresses the valuation of crypto-assets and the instruction of forensic experts for tracing/asset recovery, as well as Anti-Money Laundering considerations for practitioners.