Categories: Global Adoption

UK Introduces Bill to Clarify Crypto’s Legal Status

The U.K. government introduced a bill to Parliament touching on the legal status of digital assets including cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs).

The bill will clarify that these assets are considered personal property under British law. Once enacted, it will give the legal profession guidelines to follow when there’s a dispute on ownership, such as during a divorce. It will also provide protection to crypto owners, whether individuals or companies, who are hit by fraud and scams.

Central to the proposal is a new category of property in addition to the existing “things in possession,” which covers items such as money and cars, and “things in action,” such as debt and shares. The new category of “thing” will allow certain digital assets to attract personal property rights, Justice Minister Heidi Alexander said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the Law Commission, which reviews and recommends changes to laws in England and Wales, published a consultation on draft legislation to label crypto as property, followed by a report on its findings. Its conclusions apply to a subset of digital assets, according to the Ministry of Justice, mainly crypto tokens.

“We conclude that some digital assets are neither things in possession nor things in action, but that nonetheless the law of England and Wales treats them as capable of being things to which personal property rights can relate,” the Law Commission wrote in the report.
Terron Gold

Recent Posts

Senator Murphy Alleges White House Insiders Profited From Iran Strike Bets, Pushes to Ban Prediction Markets on Government Actions

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is calling for legislation to ban prediction markets that allow traders to bet…

2 days ago

IRS Proposes Electronic-Only Delivery For Crypto Tax Forms Under New Reporting Rules

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has proposed a new rule that would allow cryptocy brokers to deliver…

2 days ago

Crypto-Friendly Fintech Revolut Files For U.S. Banking License to Expand Crypto and Payments Services

Global fintech powerhouse Revolut has filed an application for a U.S. banking license, a move that would allow…

2 days ago

Suspect Arrested on Caribbean Island of Saint Martin in $46M Seized Crypto Theft Case

A man accused of stealing tens of millions of dollars in cryptocy from U.S. government…

2 days ago

NYSE Parent ICE Invests in Crypto Exchange OKX at $25B Valuation Amid Tokenized Stocks Push

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) — the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange — has taken a strategic…

2 days ago

AI Models Favor Bitcoin as a Store of Value, Stablecoins for Payments, BPI Study Finds

A new study from the Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) found that leading artificial intelligence models overwhelmingly favor Bitcoin…

2 days ago