Cryptocurrency Tracing in Divorce & Financial Remedy Proceedings
Specialist cryptocurrency tracing for family law professionals and individuals across England & Wales.
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Specialist cryptocurrency tracing
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Support for family law professionals and individuals
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Expert evidence where appropriate
Cryptocurrency and Financial Disclosure in Divorce
Cryptocurrency can make financial disclosure more complex where the existence, ownership or value of digital assets is unclear, or where assets have moved across wallets, exchanges or blockchains.
Exchange accounts, self-custody wallets and blockchain transactions may not always be obvious from conventional financial documents. Where concerns arise, specialist tracing can help test the available information and identify relevant transaction activity.
- Review financial disclosure and Form E information
- Identify relevant wallet, exchange and transaction activity
- Assess whether further enquiries or expert evidence may be appropriate
Cryptocurrency Tracing for Family Law
At Wealth Recovery Solicitors, we combine legal expertise with specialist blockchain analysis to help family law professionals and individuals understand the movement, value and potential location of cryptocurrency assets.
Depending on the available evidence and scope of the instruction, our work may include:
• Wallet and transaction tracing – following cryptocurrency movements between identifiable wallet addresses and building a chronological transaction trail.
• Exchange and service identification – identifying interactions with known exchanges, custodians, bridges or other services where the available data supports that conclusion.
• Cross-chain analysis – tracing relevant movements across different blockchains where the transaction data and available tooling allow this to be done reliably.
• Historical balance reconstruction – reviewing holdings and activity at relevant points in time where sufficient blockchain data is available.
• Asset quantification – helping quantify digital assets and transaction values so the legal team has a clearer evidential picture.
How Our Cryptocurrency Tracing Process Works
Initial review
Discuss a cryptocurrency tracing matter
Blockchain Analysis
Evidence and Findings
Reporting and Next Steps
Discuss a cryptocurrency tracing matter
What Information Can Help Us Begin an Investigation?
The information available at the outset can affect what can be investigated and how efficiently the tracing work can be scoped.
Useful material may include:
• Known wallet addresses
• Transaction IDs or blockchain explorer links
• Cryptocurrency exchange statements or account exports
• Bank statements showing payments to or from exchanges
• Transaction histories or CSV exports from wallets or exchanges
• Relevant emails, messages or correspondence relating to digital assets
• Existing Form E disclosure or other financial disclosure concerning cryptocurrency
Never send us a cryptocurrency seed phrase, private key or recovery phrase. These are not required for blockchain analysis and should never be shared with another person or organisation.
When Might Cryptocurrency Tracing Be Appropriate?
Cryptocurrency tracing may be worth considering where the available financial information raises questions about digital assets. These indicators do not necessarily prove that cryptocurrency has been concealed, but they may justify further investigation.
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Unexplained exchange payments
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Disclosure does not reconcile
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Significant wallet movements
Expert Evidence and FPR Part 25
Where formal expert evidence is required in family proceedings, the Family Procedure Rules govern how that evidence is obtained and used. Expert evidence in proceedings other than children proceedings may only be put before the court with permission, and in financial remedy proceedings an application for permission should normally be made no later than the first appointment unless the court directs otherwise.
Where we are instructed to provide expert evidence, the report can be prepared in accordance with the relevant requirements of FPR Part 25 and the applicable practice directions, subject to the scope of the court’s permission and the instructions received.
When acting as an expert for the purposes of family proceedings, the expert’s overriding duty is to assist the court on matters within their expertise. That duty takes precedence over any obligation to the party who instructed or pays the expert.
Director of Digital Assets
Your Cryptocurrency Tracing Specialist – Liam Ben Ari
Liam advises individuals, law firms and other professional clients on complex cryptocurrency tracing and blockchain investigations.
His work includes tracing cryptocurrency movements, analysing wallet activity, reviewing transaction histories and preparing clear evidence-led reports where digital assets are relevant to legal proceedings.
In family law matters, Liam can work alongside the instructed solicitor or barrister to help define the scope of the analysis and explain the findings in a way that supports the wider legal strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can cryptocurrency be hidden during divorce proceedings?
Yes. Cryptocurrency can be held across exchanges, self-custody wallets and multiple blockchains, which can make holdings less obvious from conventional financial documents. However, unusual transaction activity does not by itself prove concealment. Where concerns arise, specialist tracing can help identify relevant transaction trails and support further enquiries.
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How can cryptocurrency tracing help in a financial remedy case?
Cryptocurrency tracing can help build a clearer picture of relevant digital asset activity where disclosure is incomplete, unclear or inconsistent with other financial information. Depending on the evidence available, tracing may help identify transaction paths, known exchange or service exposure, historical wallet activity and the movement of assets between wallets or blockchains. The findings can then assist the instructed legal team when considering further disclosure, follow-up questions or whether specialist expert evidence may be appropriate.
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What information do you need to start a cryptocurrency investigation?
The starting point will depend on the circumstances, but useful information can include bank statements, exchange account records, wallet addresses, transaction IDs, screenshots, emails, messages and any previous financial disclosure relating to cryptocurrency.
We do not need access to private keys or seed phrases, and these should never be shared with us. Once the available information has been reviewed, we can explain what further evidence may be helpful and whether tracing is likely to be proportionate.
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Can you identify who owns a cryptocurrency wallet?
Not necessarily. Blockchain analysis can sometimes help link wallet activity to known exchanges, services or other transaction patterns, but a wallet address does not automatically reveal the legal identity of the person controlling it.
In some cases, further disclosure, information from a service provider or an appropriate legal process may be needed to establish account ownership or control.
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Can your findings be used in court proceedings?
Potentially. Where formal expert evidence is required in family proceedings, the Family Procedure Rules govern how that evidence is obtained and used. Expert evidence may only be put before the court with permission where required.
If WRS is instructed to provide expert evidence, the report can be prepared in accordance with the relevant requirements of FPR Part 25 and the applicable practice directions, subject to the scope of the court’s permission and the instructions received.
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How long does a cryptocurrency tracing investigation take?
There is no single timeframe. The time required will depend on the number of wallets, transactions and blockchains involved, the quality of the starting evidence and the scope of the instruction.
Once we have reviewed the available information, we can give a clearer indication of the likely work involved and the expected timescale.