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.
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, 2025UK passes law officially recognising crypto as property. pic.twitter.com/d7HvkUyFEG
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.
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.
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.
The U.K. 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.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published its updated position this week, showing support for a “no gain, no loss” model that would align tax events with actual economic outcomes rather than every token movement.
Under the current system, DeFi users can incur a capital gains tax charge simply by depositing tokens into a protocol, even if they retain exposure to the same asset.
That interpretation treats deposits as disposals, forcing users into complex record-keeping and potential tax bills before any real profit is made.
The proposed change would defer tax until users eventually sell, swap, or otherwise dispose of their assets in a way that reflects a genuine gain or loss.
HMRC’s revised approach follows more than two years of consultations, including a public call for evidence in 2022 and a formal consultation in mid-2023.
A newly published summary shows that 32 organizations and individuals submitted detailed responses, including Aave, Binance, Deloitte, CryptoUK, and several major accounting firms.
Many respondents argued that the current rules distort economic reality and place disproportionate administrative burdens on everyday DeFi participants.
The “no gain, no loss” model would apply to both single-token lending arrangements and more complex multi-token setups such as automated market makers.
That means users supplying liquidity to pools would no longer be taxed at the point of deposit. Instead, tax would be calculated when tokens are withdrawn and ultimately sold.
If users receive more tokens back than they deposited, the excess would be taxable as a gain. If they receive fewer, it would be treated as a loss.
The framework would also apply to crypto borrowing arrangements. When users borrow tokens and later repay them, the disposal would be calculated only from the difference between what was borrowed and what is returned.
Notably, this will ensure the tax bill reflects real gains rather than notional movements between smart contracts.
Aave founder Stani Kulechov described the update as a “major win for U.K. DeFi users,” noting that HMRC’s willingness to treat deposits as non-disposals reflects how decentralized protocols function in practice.
HMRC has published its consultation outcome in the UK regarding the taxation of DeFi activities related to lending and staking.
— Stani.eth (@StaniKulechov) November 27, 2025
A particularly interesting conclusion is that when users deposit assets into Aave, the deposit itself is not treated as a disposal for capital gains…
Industry participants responding to the consultation consistently backed the NGNL model over alternatives, warning that repo-style rules or treating every token movement as a taxable event would introduce even more complexity, particularly for retail users.
The changes do not show a loosening of the U.K.’s overall crypto tax regime. Cryptoassets remain classified as property, and disposals such as selling, swapping, or spending tokens are still subject to capital gains tax.
Income from mining, staking rewards, airdrops, and employment-related crypto continues to fall under income tax rules.
HMRC emphasized that even under the revised framework, users may still be required to report high volumes of transactions, though the agency is working with software providers to assess the burden.
The updated DeFi tax approach comes as the U.K. steps up enforcement efforts across the crypto sector. HMRC issued 65,000 “nudge letters” to suspected under-reporters this year, a 134% increase from 2024, using exchange-supplied data to identify potential cases.
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) October 19, 2025
UK tax authority sent 65,000 warning letters to crypto investors, a 134% jump from last year, signaling tougher enforcement.#UK #Taxhttps://t.co/Um572G9yGj
A broader crackdown is scheduled for 2026 when the global Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework comes into force, requiring platforms to collect and report customer tax reference numbers.
Treasury officials expect the initiative to generate more than £300 million in additional revenue by 2030.
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) July 7, 2025
Alongside tax reforms, the government is pushing ahead with broader digital-market restructuring. The U.K. recently lifted its four-year ban on crypto-based exchange-traded notes, opening the door for new listings in London. Officials are also preparing to appoint a “digital markets champion” to oversee the transition to blockchain-based financial infrastructure, including tokenized securities and digital gilts.
The post UK Scraps DeFi Capital Gains Tax on Crypto Lending — “No Gain, No Loss” Until Sale appeared first on Cryptonews.
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.
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.
The Labour government’s Budget demonstrates renewed intent to support AI, but there is an absence of a fully integrated digital strategy.
The post UK Budget 2025: Government Bets on AI and Startups appeared first on TechRepublic.
The Labour government’s Budget demonstrates renewed intent to support AI, but there is an absence of a fully integrated digital strategy.
The post UK Budget 2025: Government Bets on AI and Startups appeared first on TechRepublic.
Ofcom notes that women and girls routinely encounter disproportional abuse online, in forms such as sexual violence, coercive control, and even targeted pile-ons.
The post UK Watchdog Cracks Down on Big Tech Over Rising Attacks on Women and Girls appeared first on TechRepublic.
Ofcom notes that women and girls routinely encounter disproportional abuse online, in forms such as sexual violence, coercive control, and even targeted pile-ons.
The post UK Watchdog Cracks Down on Big Tech Over Rising Attacks on Women and Girls appeared first on TechRepublic.
Cyber Security and Resilience Bill represents a fundamental shift in how it defends its digital backbone against attacks now costing the nation nearly £15 billion annually.
The post UK Cyber Defense Laws Aim to Bolster NHS and Energy Infrastructure appeared first on TechRepublic.
Cyber Security and Resilience Bill represents a fundamental shift in how it defends its digital backbone against attacks now costing the nation nearly £15 billion annually.
The post UK Cyber Defense Laws Aim to Bolster NHS and Energy Infrastructure appeared first on TechRepublic.
Firms and policymakers must act now to ensure the UK workforce “is equipped to lead the way in digitisation, innovation, and adoption.”
The post UK Government Commissions Skills Review for AI in Finance appeared first on TechRepublic.
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