Earlier this week, a federal district court in San Diego ordered more than $17 million dollars in restitution to be distributed amongst the victims of the infamous Bitconnect investment scheme.  Approximately 800 victims from more than 40 countries around the world will be awarded compensation for their losses in the most significant single recovery of cryptocurrency for victims to date. The Bitconnect Pyramid Believed to be the largest cryptocurrency fraud ever criminally charged, the Bitconnect Ponzi scheme defrauded thousands of investors out of $3.4 billion dollars in total. The platform’s director and promoter, Glenn Arcaro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Sept 16th 2021. As a part of his plea deal, he admitted the intent to exploit their investor's interest in cryptocurrency by fraudulently marketing Bitconnect’s initial coin offering (ICO) and digital currency exchange as a lucrative investment with guaranteed returns through the use of social medi...

  Asset Reality is proud to announce a new strategic partnership with Digivault, a leading digital asset custody provider. Their expertise in this area will help us to achieve our mission to make crypto easier and fairer for everyone. As cryptocurrencies and digital assets like NFTs continue to gain prevalence in society, the need for global law enforcement agencies to keep up with the rapid development has never been higher. The public and private sector are both struggling with the challenges of managing seized assets, particularly those of a complex nature like crypto. By combining the unique abilities of Asset Reality and companies like Digivault, we can continue to support law enforcement agencies and asset recovery professionals to gain better results for the victims and creditors. Digivault is the industry’s first standalone FCA registered custodian of digital assets. Their platform combines multiple layers of security to give their clients the best possible protection. They...

  From seizure to sale, seized cryptocurrency assets are yet to have a streamlined professional process. As cryptocurrency gains prevalence in today’s society, the need for a comprehensive way to resolve crypto disputes is growing steadily.  Asset Reality is teaming up with Chainalysis and Grant Thornton to create a ground-breaking end-to-end solution for simultaneously investigating, managing and resolving disputes involving seized cryptocurrency assets.  Grant Thornton is the largest dedicated contentious insolvency team in the UK with a sole focus on asset recovery. Although the crypto space has always been dominated by Tech and Analytical companies, Asset Reality is thrilled that established asset recovery practitioners such as Grant Thornton are now entering this industry to help victims and creditors recover their funds.  This new initiative will be spearheaded at Grant Thornton by Insolvency and Asset Recovery director Carmel King and Digital Forensic Group pa...

 Asset Reality has been chosen by the Anti-Corruption Commission of Seychelles to provide services to the law enforcement agencies on the island. We’ll be supporting their efforts and implementing solutions to help the country build on the excellent work that is already being done. Many smaller island jurisdictions like the Seychelles find it difficult to balance the economic opportunities brought by embracing the crypto ecosystem against the need to tackle illicit crypto, especially against the backdrop of corruption. The work being carried out by the various law enforcement agencies on the island is invaluable in the fight against financial crime. Our Co-Founder & CEO, Aidan Larkin, is delighted with the new appointment: “Getting to work in the Seychelles for the second time in a month is a real treat. Not just because of the spectacular location, but getting to work with the dedicated officers of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Financial Intelligence Unit and Financial Crime...

  As crypto-related frauds continue to rise in scale and sophistication, the need for the legal industry to respond to cases robustly and effectively in this new area requires a joint approach that provides victims of fraud with the best possible means of redress. The ‘Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery’ network will bring together some of the world's leading names in crypto fraud investigations and asset recovery. These professionals include lawyers, barristers and forensic accountants as well as corporate intelligence and asset recovery professionals. Through meeting regularly to discuss their practical experiences, the group will develop best practises for this rapidly evolving sector. By building the knowledge and experience in this area throughout the legal community, the UK and common law jurisdictions will be placed at the forefront of global crypto dispute resolution. The group aims to become a valuable resource for sensible advice in relation to crypto fraud and asset recover...

On the 10th August, Asset Reality and the Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales will be hosting a panel discussion about staying safe online in the world of crypto. The Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales (WCRC) was founded in November 2020 to provide cybersecurity services for welsh businesses. They assist businesses and their staff to put in place the right strategies to respond to any incidents efficiently and mitigate any potential damage a cyber-attack could create. They work closely with staff to build their cyber awareness, understand the latest cyber threats and secure the business's online environment.  According to the consumer body Which? “Consumers have been conned out of more than £2.3bn in the space of a year after a ‘devastating surge’ in scams as fraudsters exploited the pandemic.” A growing number of these are easily avoidable crypto-related scams, reporting over £113 million of damages. Despite their best efforts, law enforcement is struggling to cope with the sheer vol...

  Asset Reality and Chainalysis are proud to announce a new Partnership with the law firm Brandsmiths.  Their unique litigation capability recently won a landmark case confirming the status of crypto assets as property and they have helped a range of clients, particularly leading digital platform businesses, to make the most of their creative ideas and their most valuable assets. This new partnership aims to protect such clients, helping them to exercise their right to recovery in a field known for its complexity. It will seek to deliver a brand new service for the recovery of digital assets like cryptocurrency and NFTs all under one roof, giving clients peace of mind knowing that a single expert team is working together for a single goal. As explained by our co-founder Aidan Larkin (Co-founder and CEO): “Crypto assets present unique challenges when trying to recover and seize them and having an experienced network of professionals at each key stage of the process is vital. We...