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27 February 2026
Issue: 8151 / Categories: Legal News , Crypto , Technology , Criminal , Fraud , Cybercrime
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NLJ this week: Crypto fightback offers ‘new frontier for law’

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A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes

Yet the surge presents opportunity: asset tracing and cross-border injunctions are moving centre stage as courts treat stolen tokens as recoverable property. With legal costs topping £250,000, specialist firms now blend recovery with insurance, while preventive tools flag suspect wallets before funds vanish.

‘Crypto recovery’, Holloway argues, is no mere niche but ‘a defining feature of commercial litigation’—essential if digital assets are to become a ‘legitimate, trusted pillar’ rather than a risky frontier.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Withers—Sophie Barrett-Brown

Withers—Sophie Barrett-Brown

Withers drives further growth in its UK immigration team with new partner Sophie Barrett-Brown

Venus Legal—Esther Amoako

Venus Legal—Esther Amoako

Venus Legal invests in next generation of legal talent as specialist litigation practice grows

Fisher Phillips—Catrina Smith

Fisher Phillips—Catrina Smith

Fisher Phillips continues momentum in London with arrival of Catrina Smith

NEWS
Restrictions on workplace non-disclosure agreements could make settlements slower, more complex and more expensive when reforms expected in 2027 take effect
Private prosecutors face closer scrutiny under Crown Prosecution Service guidance designed to strengthen accountability and consistency when intervention is requested
Foreign states cannot necessarily claim immunity for cyber operations launched abroad against computers in Britain, following a divided Supreme Court ruling
Defendants who make unsupported complaints about their lawyers risk losing legal aid while confiscation proceedings continue without representation
Lawyers advising Russian clients face different sanctions restrictions across the UK, EU and US, despite their shared objective of increasing pressure on Russia
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