Policy Brief 18: Managing seized cryptoassets

In September 2026, asset management practitioners, prosecutors, police and private-sector specialists from 17 countries met in Luxembourg to discuss how to manage seized cryptoassets.

Co-organised by the Luxembourg Bureau de gestion des avoirs and Basel Institute on Governance, the roundtable was held under the Chatham House rule on the sidelines of the 10th Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptoassets. This publication emerges from that roundtable.

The document is structured around eight questions, because the focus is on questions that asset management practitioners need to consider rather than one-size-fits-all answers that do not exist. Laws, institutions and resources differ, as the examples given by participants demonstrate. Technical terms are explained in the glossary at the end.

The discussions confirmed that managing cryptoassets should be framed within the lifecycle of a case, from pre-seizure planning to disposal. Decisions taken at one stage can have significant consequences at later stages.

The diagram below shows the main stages in managing a seized cryptoasset, indicating the most relevant questions for each.

About this publication

This publication is part of the Basel Institute on Governance Policy Brief series ISSN 2624-9669. You may share this publication under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence.

Around 50 participants from the public and private sectors, representing 17 jurisdictions, took part in the roundtable on which the publication is based. The organisers thank all participants for sharing their experience so openly during the roundtable and in consultations on the draft.

Disclaimer: The document does not necessarily represent the views of the moderators, the organisers or participants’ institutions, or the official position of the Basel Institute on Governance, its donors and partners, or the University of Basel.