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Cryptocurrency, proprietary injunctions, freezing orders, and trusts: the law is not cryptic

25 March 2024 / Author(s): Ajay Malhotra , Tom Wyer
Issue: April 2022 / Categories: In Practice
Company: Herbert Smith Freehills

Despite the meteoric rise of cryptocurrency as an asset class, there has to date been little case law concerning it. This article looks at a recent cryptocurrency case which applies established principles relating to trusts, proprietary injunctions and worldwide freezing orders to this new asset class: Wang v Darby [2021] EWHC 3054 (Comm). This decision confirms that familiar legal principles apply equally to cryptocurrencies, although digital assets can shine a light on established areas of law. We discuss below the key issues arising from the application of established principles to novel circumstances and the way in which Wang v Darby represents a missed opportunity to address the more interesting points arising in existing case law concerning cryptocurrency.

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