CFAAR at Five: The Future of Digital Assets

Five years after CFAAR was established, the digital asset landscape has transformed — and so have the challenges facing those working within the ecosystem.

CFAAR at Five: The Future of Digital Assets will bring together leading practitioners and experts from across CFAAR’s international network, alongside representatives from industry, digital asset exchanges, law enforcement, investigations, insolvency, regulation and the legal profession.

Drawing on experience from the UK and major digital asset jurisdictions around the world, the conference will examine the issues shaping the next phase of the sector: from the global race to regulate digital assets and the evolving nature of crypto fraud, cybercrime and cyberattacks, to cross-border investigations, blockchain intelligence and some of the world’s most significant digital asset insolvencies.

The programme will examine the practical challenges facing lawyers, investigators, insolvency practitioners, exchanges and other professionals working on digital asset matters.

The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Sarah Green, a leading legal authority who has helped shape the law governing digital assets and cryptocurrencies.

The conference will be followed by drinks celebrating CFAAR’s fifth anniversary and the continued growth of its international community.

Conference programme

14:00 - 14:30 - Registration and networking

14:30 - 14:35 - Welcome and opening remarks

14:35 - 14:55 - Opening keynote 

15:00 - 15:45 - The Global Race to Regulate Digital Assets: The UK and Beyond

As the UK moves towards a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets, businesses are already having to navigate a growing number of different international regimes.

This panel will compare the UK’s emerging approach with developments in the United States, Bermuda, the United Arab Emirates and Europe. Speakers will examine the opportunities and risks created by diverging regulatory frameworks and consider what businesses, investors and advisers need to understand when operating across borders.

The discussion will cover:

• The proposed UK regulatory framework
• Developments in the US, Bermuda, the UAE and Europe
• The practical impact of MiCA
• The strengths and limitations of different regulatory models
• The challenges facing businesses operating internationally
• What digital asset firms wish their advisers had understood before the regulatory process began

Panel: 

15:45 - 16:30 - Beyond Asset Recovery: Where Crypto Fraud Is Heading

Crypto fraud is changing rapidly. New technologies, increasingly sophisticated criminal networks and the international nature of digital assets are creating challenges that cannot be addressed by legal remedies alone.

This session will move beyond the traditional focus on recovering assets to examine how fraud is being detected, investigated and disrupted. It will bring together perspectives from exchanges, law enforcement, blockchain intelligence providers, investigators and legal practitioners.

The discussion will cover:

• How the crypto fraud landscape has changed
• What happens inside an exchange when fraud is reported
• The role of blockchain intelligence and analytics
• How artificial intelligence is being used by fraudsters and investigators
• Cooperation between exchanges, law enforcement and professional advisers
• The critical actions required during the first 24 hours following a fraud
• The investigative and enforcement challenges likely to emerge over the next five years

Panel: 

16:30 - 17:00 - Refreshment Break

17:00 - 17:45 - When Crypto Fails: Navigating Insolvency in the Digital Asset Era

In this fireside chat, Tom Aspin, Director, Financial Advisory Services at Grant Thornton New Zealand, will share first-hand lessons from some of the most significant crypto insolvencies and distressed digital asset businesses.

Tom leads Grant Thornton New Zealand’s Digital Assets practice and has extensive experience in digital asset insolvency, restructuring, investigations and asset recovery. He is the operational lead for the liquidations of Cryptopia Limited and Digital Asset Exchange Limited (Dasset) and a subject matter expert to the liquidators of Bittrex Global (Bermuda) Ltd. Through the Cryptopia liquidation, he has helped facilitate the return of more than NZ$500 million in cryptocurrency to account holders.

Drawing on this experience, the conversation will explore what management teams, advisers and stakeholders should expect when a crypto business enters financial distress, and how traditional insolvency tools are being adapted to unfamiliar assets, technologies and operating models.

Topics will include:

• Recovering and preserving digital assets
• Investigating failed crypto businesses
• Cross-border insolvency and jurisdictional challenges
• Identifying and protecting customer assets
• Working with exchanges, custodians and wallet providers
• Regulatory issues arising during an insolvency
• Lessons from major digital asset collapses
• What executives and advisers often underestimate when a crypto business fails

Panel: 

17:45 - 17:50 - Closing Remarks 

18:00 - 21:00 - CFAAR fifth anniversary drinks

Following the conference, guests are invited to join CFAAR’s members, supporters and international community for drinks marking the organisation’s fifth anniversary. The reception will provide an opportunity to continue the day’s discussions, reconnect with colleagues and celebrate five years of collaboration across the digital asset recovery community.