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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

Womble Bond Dickinson—Paula Myers

Womble Bond Dickinson—Paula Myers

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints Paula Myers to private capital team in Leeds

mfg Solicitors—five promotions

mfg Solicitors—five promotions

Law firm mfg Solicitors announces five promotions at Birmingham office

Brabners—six promotions

Brabners—six promotions

Brabners adds six to partnership in record year for partner promotions

NEWS
Calls to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 have been renewed, with the Bar Council arguing the current threshold criminalises children too early and risks pushing them towards lifelong offending
The legal profession's AI challenge extends far beyond fabricated case citations, according to a warning about the next phase of technological risk
Law firms should use the transition period before the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) assumes anti-money laundering (AML) supervision to strengthen governance and compliance, experts have warned
Cross-border disputes increasingly demand creative approaches to gathering evidence, with litigators needing to look beyond traditional letters of request
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified the distinction between contracts of 'indefinite' and 'perpetual' duration, with potentially significant implications for commercial drafting
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