Overview

• Judges are expected to decide in January whether roughly 61,000 BTC seized in 2018 is used to repay victims at entry cost (about £640 million) or at current market value.
• Metropolitan Police say the 61,000 BTC haul is the largest crypto seizure on record, now worth about $7.2 billion after defendants including Zhimin Qian entered guilty pleas on Sept. 29.
• Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, compensation focuses on victim loss while confiscation removes criminal benefit, with any net surplus shared under the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme after costs.
• The Treasury has been told not to book any proceeds in the November Budget, and officials have been warned that keeping gains could trigger protracted legal challenges that delay payouts.
• Home Office powers now allow authorities to hold, convert, and sell crypto under court oversight, so any realization would follow the court’s order and could be paced to limit market impact.