The UK Parliament has approved a new law that formally considers and treats cryptocurrencies and stablecoins as property in the country.
The Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill was granted royal assent, confirming it as law, after being announced in the House of Lords. After receiving approval from King Charles, digital assets will be safeguarded under property law, compared to before, when they were under a grey area shaped mostly by court rulings.
A step forward in the UK’s crypto landscape
Upon receiving this approval, industry groups have responded positively, welcoming the decision and viewing it as a long-awaited development. According to Bitcoin Policy UK, the law represents a step forward for Bitcoin and other digital assets. Additionally, trade organisation CryptoUK stated that Parliament has now codified into law what judges had been applying through individual cases. Until now, the common law had treated digital tokens as property, but only through dispersed judgments.
Furthermore, the law comes after advice issued in 2024 by the Law Commission of England and Wales, which pushed lawmakers to classify cryptocurrencies as a distinct form of personal property. Through this, uncertainty around ownership disputes could be mitigated.
Traditionally, under UK law, personal property is divided into two categories: physical objects and contractual rights. Until now, the issue was that cryptocurrencies did not fall into either of those categories. With the new law, this vagueness is resolved by confirming that a thing that is digital or electronic in nature can still be treated as personal property, even if prior definitions are not met.
Similar to industry groups, the UK Government sees the change as part of a broader push toward making Britain a hub for digital finance. Professor Solène Rowan, Commissioner for Commercial and Common Law, expanded on this, saying that the passage of the Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025 maintains the law of England and Wales at the forefront of legal development. Based on regulators’ recommendations, this new act will allow the courts to develop the law in ways that meet the unique features of these emerging assets, while also ensuring that they can be safeguarded as objects of property rights. This is set to improve the rights of users of cryptocurrencies and optimise legal certainty for individuals and businesses.
