Our articles are written by experts in their field and include individual barristers, solicitors, academics, judges, and leading firms in relevant areas of practice. JIBFL offers authoritative insights into global banking and financial law, providing essential updates for legal practitioners and policymakers. Covering key topics like lending, security interests, derivatives, debt capital markets, banking and finance related disputes, crypto, FinTech and financial regulation, JIBFL serves as a trusted resource for navigating complex legal challenges and staying informed in the financial sector. If you would like to contribute, please email .

The “crypto crash”: a catalyst for further crypto litigation?

20 March 2024 / Author(s): Sohail Ali , Suhail Mayor
Issue: September 2022 / Categories: In Practice
Company: DLA Piper

In recent years, the cryptoasset market has developed rapidly, with market capitalisation for cryptoassets estimated to have been around US$2.6-3trn in 2021.1 The market for decentralised finance (DeFi), although still relatively small, has also expanded quickly from less than US$10bn in 2020 to nearly US$100bn in 2021.2 However, over the last few months the cryptoasset market – specifically cryptocurrencies – has been seeing one of its worst selloffs since a market rally in 2020. This has sparked panic amongst investors, causing substantial financial losses. Inevitably, this has seen a flurry of litigation globally in recent months. This trend is likely to continue. We consider the causes of the crypto crash and the likely litigation risks for financial institutions and advisers.

If you are already a User, sign in
Or you can register free of charge to read a limited amount of subscriber content per month.
Once you have registered, you will receive an email directing you back to read this article in full.
Alternatively you can subscribe here to read unlimited content.