A senior employee of General Dynamics UK has come under scrutiny after publicly suggesting that British Army crews are partly responsible for the ongoing problems with the Ajax armored vehicle program. According to a report by the UK Defence Journal, the individual—who identifies as an Acceptance Manager and previously served as Ajax Trials Manager—posted comments […]According to reports, the UK has put new law on the books that names cryptocurrencies as property under English law. The measure was approved and was given Royal Assent on December 2, 2025.
That move turns a long stretch of legal uncertainty into a clear rule about who owns what when it comes to Bitcoin, stablecoins and other tokenized assets.
Based on reports, the bill — called the Property (Digital Assets etc.) Act 2025 — creates a new, third category of personal property for digital assets. The law covers England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
It does not make crypto money that must be accepted in shops, and it does not itself set new rules for exchanges or taxes. What it does do is give owners a firmer legal claim they can use in court.
Even before the law, judges were already treating crypto as property in some cases. For example, a High Court action in 2019 allowed a proprietary remedy over Bitcoin used in a ransom claim.
Reports show another key ruling came in 2023 when a judge found that the stablecoin USDT could attract property rights under English law.
Legal groups such as the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce had argued for years that crypto meets basic tests for property: it can be defined, found, transferred and held for a period of time. The new act simply puts that view into statute.
Stronger Rights For Holders And CourtsBoth takes miss it a bit. UK courts have already treated crypto as property for years; this just codifies and tightens the framework, especially for insolvency/estate stuff. It is “true” in the sense that the statute now spells it out, but it is not the revolution CryptoUK is…
— Crypto Reply Guy (@CryptoReplyGuy1) December 2, 2025
With property status written into law, people who hold crypto should find it easier to bring claims to recover stolen or lost assets. Creditors and insolvency practitioners will have clearer grounds to list digital assets in estates and bankruptcies.
Reports suggest the change will make freezing orders, seizure and restitution easier to obtain through UK courts than before. That matters for victims of hacks, customers of failed platforms, and anyone trying to settle an estate that includes crypto.
A Law, Not A Full RulebookThe act is a legal recognition, not a full set of rules for how crypto is bought, sold or taxed. Regulators still control licensing, anti-money-laundering checks, and market conduct.
Tax authorities will keep defining how gains are assessed. Based on reports from legal commentators, the act acts as a foundation — it clarifies ownership first, and lawmakers or regulators can build more detailed rules on top of that later.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Poland has delivered the first batch of domestically produced Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to its military, with 15 units handed over to the 15th Mechanized Brigade. According to Defence24, the delivery is part of a contract signed in March 2025 for the production of 111 Borsuk IFVs. The agreement also includes training and logistics […]
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Many students who once aimed for white-collar careers are now opting for manual professions they believe AI cannot easily replace.
The post AI-Driven Layoffs Push UK Students Toward the Trades appeared first on TechRepublic.
Many students who once aimed for white-collar careers are now opting for manual professions they believe AI cannot easily replace.
The post AI-Driven Layoffs Push UK Students Toward the Trades appeared first on TechRepublic.
Britain is weighing a ban on crypto political donations as lawmakers raise alarm over traceability and foreign influence.
Reports have disclosed that ministers are discussing a move to bar parties and candidates from accepting gifts in cryptocurrency as part of changes tied to the upcoming Elections Bill.
Reform UK, which has already opened a portal to take bitcoin and other digital tokens, would be directly affected if a ban goes ahead.
Reports show Reform became the first European party to accept crypto donations in late May 2025, and the move has drawn fresh attention to how digital coins can be used in politics.
Campaign finance figures underline the stakes. In recent reporting, the Conservative Party raised £6.3 million in the first half of the year compared with Reform’s £2.1 million over the same period — numbers that help explain why any new fundraising channel is politically sensitive.
According to ministers and watchdogs, the problem is not the technology itself but the way tokens can hide who is really sending money.
Wallets on blockchains are pseudonymous, and tools exist that can mix or obscure transactions, making it hard to link a donation to a named donor. That raises the risk of foreign or illicit funds slipping into UK campaigns.
UK government considers banning #crypto political donations, treatening Nigel Farage’s Reform UK fundraising pic.twitter.com/cTIghUkbGn
— CryptOpus (@ImCryptOpus) December 2, 2025
Groups that track corruption have backed stronger rules. Spotlight on corruption and other campaigners have urged lawmakers to close loopholes and give regulators clearer powers to trace suspect funding.
They say more than guidance is needed; legal changes and extra resources for investigators will be necessary if the system is to be effective.
Crypto Donation Ban: How Enforcement Could Become DifficultEven if Parliament were to require crypto donations to be converted into pounds within a set period or funneled only through regulated providers, enforcement would remain tricky.
Some officials believe new offences tied to illicit political funding and better police tools would be needed, while others warn that drafting workable rules will take time.
Full Or Partial Ban?Lawmakers will debate whether to introduce a full ban, a partial ban, or tighter rules that force transparency and use of vetted intermediaries.
Reports indicate the idea is under active discussion, but it is unclear whether change can be written into law before the next election cycle.
Reform UK leaders have said they already accept crypto donations and view them as part of a wider pitch to voters; critics argue the timing and lack of clear oversight make that risky.
Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
Bitcoin Magazine
UK Passes Bill Formally Recognizing Crypto as a New Category of Property
The United Kingdom has officially written crypto into its legal framework as a distinct form of property.
On Tuesday, the Property (Digital Assets etc.) Act 2025 received Royal Assent from King Charles III, completing its passage through Parliament and creating a third, legally recognized category of property specifically for digital assets. The act passed both houses without amendment.
The new classification places assets such as bitcoin, stablecoins and NFTs into a bucket separate from traditional “things in possession,” like physical objects, or “things in action,” like contractual rights. Policymakers say the reform was needed to modernize property law for the digital era.
“A third category of property now exists, and it finally gives legal protection to the sats you hold,” said Susie Ward, CEO of Bitcoin Policy UK. Her group’s Chief Policy Officer, Freddie New, called the act potentially “the biggest change in English property law since the Middle Ages.”
The reform stems from a 2023 recommendation by the Law Commission, which argued that digital assets did not fit neatly into existing legal categories. The bill was introduced in the House of Lords in September 2024 before moving swiftly through Parliament.
While U.K. courts had already been treating crypto as property in rulings over the past several years, the approach relied on case-by-case judgments.
BREAKING:
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) December 3, 2025
Trade association CryptoUK said codifying the principle in statute offers much clearer legal pathways in matters involving theft, fraud, insolvency and estate planning.
“This gives digital assets a much clearer legal footing — especially for things like proving ownership, recovering stolen assets, and handling them in insolvency or estate cases,” CryptoUK said in a statement on X.
Lawmakers also framed the legislation as a boost to consumer and investor protection.
“By recognizing digital assets in law, the U.K. is giving consumers clear ownership rights, stronger protections, and the ability to recover assets lost through theft or fraud,” Gurinder Singh Josan, co-chair of the Crypto and Digital Assets All Party Parliamentary Group, told CoinDesk.
The Royal Assent was formally announced in the House of Lords around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, marking the moment the bill became law.
Earlier this year, the U.K. lifted its four-year ban on retail access to bitcoin and crypto ETNs, allowing firms to offer the products on FCA-approved exchanges.
After the ban, BlackRock then launched its fully backed iShares Bitcoin ETP (IB1T) on the London Stock Exchange.
Meanwhile, the UK government is reportedly weighing a ban on crypto donations to political parties as it drafts its upcoming Elections Bill, according to people familiar with internal discussions and POLITICO reporting.
The move would directly affect Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which became the first British party to accept digital asset donations and has already received several.
This post UK Passes Bill Formally Recognizing Crypto as a New Category of Property first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.
The UK has made a major change to how digital assets are treated in law, confirming that cryptocurrencies and other electronic tokens qualify as personal property.
The update became official when the Property Digital Assets Bill received royal assent in the House of Lords this week, with Lord Speaker John McFall announcing that King Charles had formally approved it.
The move arrives as crypto adoption continues to rise across the country and as courts have been settling digital asset disputes without a clear statutory framework.
By writing this principle into legislation, the UK aims to reduce uncertainty for users when proving ownership, recovering stolen assets, or handling digital holdings during insolvency or estate processes.
Until now, UK courts recognised crypto as property only through common law, meaning judges reached conclusions based on earlier rulings rather than a specific statute.
The new law follows a 2024 recommendation from the Law Commission of England and Wales, which said that digital assets should be treated as a new form of personal property because they do not fit neatly into existing categories.
Personal property in the UK traditionally falls into two groups: a “thing in possession,” which refers to physical items, and a “thing in action,” which refers to enforceable rights such as debts or contracts.
Digital assets sit between these definitions.
They exist electronically, can be transferred like possessions, and are used in financial systems, yet they do not align perfectly with one category.
The bill clarifies that digital or electronic items can still be recognised as property even if they are neither a physical object nor an enforceable claim.
The Law Commission warned that the unclear fit of digital assets could complicate court decisions, especially when resolving disputes involving ownership or loss.
The new legislation forms part of a wider push to build a structured framework for digital assets.
The goal is to strengthen consumer protection while encouraging innovation in digital finance.
Adoption continues to expand. Late last year, the financial regulator reported that roughly 12% of UK adults hold cryptocurrency, up from 10% in its previous findings.
The rise signals that more users are engaging with digital assets, making legal clarity an essential part of future policy planning.
By recognising crypto as personal property and preparing broader regulations, the UK is aiming to support the digital economy while giving users a firmer understanding of their rights.
The shift is expected to shape future industry practices and improve how courts interpret disputes involving blockchain-based assets.
The post UK recognises crypto as property in major digital asset shift appeared first on CoinJournal.
The United Kingdom has moved a step closer to giving crypto holders the same legal footing as owners of traditional assets after Parliament approved a new law that formally treats cryptocurrencies and stablecoins as property.
Key Takeaways:
The Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill was granted royal assent this week, confirming it as law, after being announced in the House of Lords by John McFall.
With the approval of King Charles, digital assets will now be protected under property law rather than being left in a gray area shaped mostly by court rulings.
Industry groups welcomed the decision as a long-awaited breakthrough.
Bitcoin Policy UK called the law “a massive step forward” for Bitcoin and other digital assets, while trade body CryptoUK said Parliament has now written into statute what judges had already been applying through individual cases.
Until now, common law had often treated digital tokens as property, but only through scattered judgments.
The new law follows advice issued in 2024 by the Law Commission of England and Wales, which urged lawmakers to classify crypto as a distinct form of personal property to avoid uncertainty around ownership disputes.
Under UK law, personal property traditionally falls into two categories: physical objects, known as “things in possession,” and contractual rights, referred to as “things in action.”
The problem, legal experts noted, was that crypto did not easily fit into either group.
BREAKING: UK JUST OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED #BITCOIN AND CRYPTO AS PROPERTY UNDER LAW
— The Bitcoin Historian (@pete_rizzo_) December 2, 2025
NATION STATE GAME THEORY PLAYING OUT
The new legislation resolves that ambiguity by confirming that “a thing that is digital or electronic in nature” can still be treated as personal property, even if it does not meet older definitions.
CryptoUK said this change makes it easier for courts to settle disagreements involving stolen funds, inheritance cases or company failures involving digital holdings.
“This gives digital assets a much clearer legal footing, especially for proving ownership or recovering tokens after fraud,” the group said in a statement.
The government also views the change as part of a broader effort to make Britain a hub for digital finance.
Data from the financial regulator shows around 12% of UK adults hold some form of cryptocurrency, a figure that has risen steadily in recent years.
As reported, the UK government is considering a ban on cryptocurrency donations to political parties, a move that could directly affect Reform UK, which recently became the first party in the country to accept digital assets.
The proposal is under review as part of the upcoming Elections Bill, according to people familiar with internal discussions, though officials have yet to formally confirm the plan.
The debate follows Reform UK’s push to present itself as Britain’s most crypto-friendly party under the leadership of Nigel Farage.
Furthermore, the UK government has moved a step closer to overhauling how decentralized finance activity is taxed, backing a new framework that would spare users from triggering capital gains each time they deposit tokens into lending protocols or liquidity pools.
The post UK Formally Recognizes Crypto as Property with New Digital Assets Law appeared first on Cryptonews.
The British Army’s troubled Ajax armoured fighting vehicle has returned to the centre of national criticism in recent days, after new noise-related injuries forced the suspension of training and sent 31 soldiers to hospital. According to a source familiar with U.K. military procurement, the programme’s difficulties have entered a new and more serious stage, raising […]
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
New NSPCC research finds one in 10 UK children targeted by online blackmail, with parents feeling unprepared and calling for stronger tech safeguards.
The post UK Parents Doubt Tech Giants’ Efforts as Blackmail Cases Climb appeared first on TechRepublic.
New NSPCC research finds one in 10 UK children targeted by online blackmail, with parents feeling unprepared and calling for stronger tech safeguards.
The post UK Parents Doubt Tech Giants’ Efforts as Blackmail Cases Climb appeared first on TechRepublic.
Consumers place growing trust in agentic commerce, according to new UK research from payments consultancy PSE Consulting.
The post Black Friday Sees Surge in AI-Assisted Shopping in UK appeared first on TechRepublic.
Turkmenistan has taken a major step towards formalising its digital asset sector, joining a wave of countries introducing detailed crypto regulations as global frameworks evolve.
The move was confirmed in a Nov. 28 report by Business Turkmenistan, which said President Serdar Berdimuhamedov had approved a new law that will come into effect in 2026.
The legislation introduces a tightly controlled structure for digital assets in a country long known for strict information policies and limited access to outside technologies.
It places crypto exchanges, custodial services, and mining under clear state-defined rules, positioning Turkmenistan within a growing international effort to manage crypto adoption more systematically.
The new law establishes licensing procedures for exchanges and custodial platforms.
It sets know your client and Anti Money Laundering checks as standard requirements, along with mandatory cold storage obligations for service providers.
The framework also prevents credit institutions from offering crypto services. The state can stop, void, or enforce the refund of token issuances, placing digital asset activity squarely under government authority.
Mining is a central focus of the legislation. Individuals and organisations must register mining and mining pool operations. Covert mining activity is banned.
The central bank is also given the power to authorise distributed ledgers or operate its own, opening the door to permissioned systems that could direct transactions and digital asset activity through state-managed infrastructure.
Turkmenistan’s law also defines the legal status of crypto assets. Digital currencies are not considered legal tender, currency, or securities within the country. Instead, the law divides them into two categories: backed and unbacked.
Regulators will later set rules for the liquidity of the backing, settlement requirements, and emergency redemption arrangements for assets in the backed category.
This structure hints at a system in which any asset with underlying backing will face closer supervision, while unbacked assets remain strictly delineated in legal terms.
The legislation was introduced following a Nov. 21 government meeting.
Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Hojamyrat Geldimyradov presented a report outlining the legal, technological, and organisational basis for the introduction of digital assets.
The report was accompanied by a proposal to establish a special State Commission that will oversee the sector and coordinate regulatory decisions as the framework is implemented.
Turkmenistan’s shift mirrors a wider push among governments to tighten their regulatory approaches to crypto and stablecoins.
Earlier this week, the United Kingdom’s tax authority outlined a new plan that allows decentralised finance users to defer capital gains taxes on crypto lending and liquidity pool activity until they sell the underlying token.
The move reduces the administrative burden on users and brings policy closer in line with how traditional assets are taxed.
In another development, Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said she expects the UK to move in parallel with the United States on stablecoin policies.
This suggests that major economies may establish similar frameworks as stablecoins become more integrated into payment and settlement systems.
International bodies are also reassessing earlier positions.
Erik Thedéen, governor of Sweden’s central bank and chair of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, recently indicated that the group may need a different approach to its current risk weighting for crypto exposures after some countries resisted adopting the 1,250% standard.
This reflects rising pressure for coordinated regulatory models as digital asset markets expand.
The regulatory shift comes against the backdrop of Turkmenistan’s tightly controlled political landscape.
The former Soviet republic, home to around 6.5 to 7 million people, relies heavily on natural gas exports and maintains one of the world’s most centralised presidential systems.
It appears in lists of countries where X and Telegram are banned.
The country is also known for distinctive landmarks, including a permanently burning natural gas crater known as the door to hell, the white marble architecture of its capital, Ashgabat, and a national holiday dedicated to melons.
These features sit alongside heavy state oversight, making the introduction of a structured crypto law a notable change in approach.
The post Turkmenistan joins global crypto regulation push with sweeping new digital asset law appeared first on CoinJournal.
Consumers place growing trust in agentic commerce, according to new UK research from payments consultancy PSE Consulting.
The post Black Friday Sees Surge in AI-Assisted Shopping in UK appeared first on TechRepublic.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
While many leaders welcome fresh commitments to AI infrastructure and innovation, others warn about limited investment and a lack of cyber resilience.
The post UK Budget 2025: Reactions From Tech Leaders appeared first on TechRepublic.
Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, and Hammersmith & Fulham councils have triggered their emergency response plans.
The post Cyberattack Disrupts Services Across London Councils appeared first on TechRepublic.
Login