Cryptocurrency Update: Can my Cryptocurrency Trading Portfolio be accessed by investigating authorities in the UK?

As of 1 January 2026, under the UK’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), cryptoasset service providers (exchanges, brokers, custodians) must collect and report the following for each UK tax resident: full name, address, date of birth, National Insurance or foreign tax ID, wallet addresses, and detailed transaction logs (GOV.UK).

From 1 January 2026, in civil and criminal investigations and litigation involving cryptocurrencies; investigators and parties to proceedings will be able to gain direct access—via HMRC disclosure—to transaction-level data long treated as opaque, making it far simpler to prove unreported gains or link illicit flows to specific individuals.

This substantive change will directly impact crypto asset seizure and restraint proceedings. Detailed reports from crypto asset providers will significantly reduce the time required to identify and freeze suspect assets, reducing what investigating authorities would deem opportunities for flight or obstruction of access to crypto assets.

Update by Narita Bahra KC & DR. Marius-Cristian Frunza.