New publication: “Crypto-assets in wealth and succession planning“

Crypto assets have long been a key part of economical and socio-political discussions, playing an integral role in the wealth of many private and institutional investors – and not just since the US presidential election. The new handbook “Crypto-assets in wealth and succession planning” is out now. It provides legal practitioners – in particular lawyers, tax advisors, asset managers and family offices – with a practical tool.

The editors of the practical handbook are Dr. Florian Lindermann, lawyer and tax advisor at the tax-focused law firm Flick Gocke Schaumburg, Dr. Bastian Biermann (Head of Legal BASF, Ludwigshafen) and Dr. Bastian Liegmann (KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Berlin).

Other authors are Maria Huxol, Dirk Schuster, Dr Gerrit Sprakel and Dr Philipp Windeknecht (all Flick Gocke Schaumburg) as well as Dr Katharina Garbers-von Boehm, Philipp Hornung, Christine Knote and Marc Pussar – all practitioners with relevant crypto experience. Their contributions deal with the following topics:

• Basics of crypto-assets
• Crypto–assets in civil law
• Crypto-assets and foundations
• Crypto-assets in income tax law
• Inheritance tax treatment of crypto-assets
• VAT treatment of crypto-assets
• Tax valuation of crypto-assets
• Crypto-assets in supervisory law
• Crypto-assets in an international context

The economic relevance of crypto-assets is primarily reflected in their market capitalisation: The volume of all cryptocurrencies currently amounts to around USD 3.3 trillion. Many institutional investment companies are now also acknowledging the economic importance of crypto-assets. Wall Street banks and other financial institutions are themselves investing in crypto-assets on a large scale.

However, the legal framework has yet to catch up with this rapid economic and social development. The high volatility of blockchain-based assets in particular makes civil law and tax planning and structuring absolutely essential. The new handbook provides a unique overview and practical assistance.

The articles deal with the relevant features of civil, inheritance and tax law as well as the IP law implications from the perspective of the tax advisor. In addition to established cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, crypto art in the form of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) is gaining increased prominence, raising legal, technical and economic questions. International aspects also play a major role in both practical and legal terms.

The “Crypto-assets in wealth and succession planning” handbook is now available in the Beck Shop: https://www.beck-shop.de/krypto-assets

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