This book examines how cryptocurrencies based on blockchain technologies fit into existing general law categories of public and private law. The book takes the common law systems of the United Kingdom as the centre of its study but extends beyond the UK to show how cryptocurrencies would be accommodated in some Western European and East Asian legal systems outside the common law tradition. By investigating traditional conceptions of money in public law and private law the work examines the difficulties of fitting cryptocurrencies within those approaches and models. Fundamental questions regarding issues of ownership, transfer, conflict of laws, and taxation are addressed with a view to equipping the reader with the tools to answer common transactional questions about cryptocurrencies. The international contributor team uses the common law systems of the United Kingdom as a basis for the analysis, but also looks comparatively to other systems across the wider common law and civil law world to provide detailed examination of the legal problems encountered.

Secured transactions law has been subjected to a close scrutiny over the last two decades. One of the main reasons for this is the importance of availability of credit and the consequent need to reform collateral laws in order to improve access to finance. The ability to give security effectively influences not only the cost of credit but also, in some cases, whether credit will be available at all. This requires rules that are transparent and readily accessible to non-lawyers as well as rules that recognise the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. This book critically engages with the challenges posed by inefficient secured credit laws. It offers a comparative analysis of the reasons and the needs for a secured transactions law reform, as well as discussion of the steps taken in many common law, civil law and mixed law jurisdictions. The book, written under the auspices of the Secured Transactions Law Reform Project, informs the debate about reform and advances novel arguments written by world renowned experts that will build upon the existing literature, and as such will be of interest to academics, legal practitioners and the judiciary involved in secured transactions law around the world. The text considers reform initiatives that have taken place up to the end of April 2016. It has not been possible to incorporate events since then into the discussion. However, notable developments include the banks decree passed by the Italian Government on 29th June 2016, and the adoption of the Model Law on Secured Transactions by UNCITRAL on 1st July 2016.