ChainCatcher news, the Civil Court Daily published an article titled "Criminal Qualification of Illegal Theft of Virtual Currency," which points out that the act of stealing virtual currency constitutes theft. As an economic property, it must have value, including utility, scarcity, and disposability. Scarcity is reflected in the constant total supply of virtual currency, which is not infinitely available. Disposability is demonstrated by the use of asymmetric encryption technology for virtual currency, which exists in wallets (i.e., addresses), and once the address and private key are obtained, one can control the virtual currency. Utility is reflected in the fact that virtual currency, as a specific data encoding, must be generated through "mining," which condenses social abstract labor.The article also points out that the act of stealing virtual currency constitutes the crime of illegally obtaining data from computer systems, as virtual currency has data characteristics. The illegal theft of virtual currency constitutes the crime of illegally obtaining data from computer systems. Regarding the determination of the amount of stolen virtual currency, it is more reasonable to set the amount of virtual currency involved in the case at the time the defendant committed the crime rather than when the victim purchased the virtual currency.

ChainCatcher news, the People's Court Daily published an article titled "The Judicial Disposal of Virtual Currency Must Be Standardized," which points out that the standardization of judicial disposal of virtual currency is crucial for maintaining financial stability and promoting healthy market development. According to statistics from SAFEIS Security Research Institute, in 2023, the total number of cases involving virtual currency crimes in China was 428, a decrease of 88.9% compared to 2022, but the amount involved surged to 430.719 billion yuan, approximately 12.36 times that of 2022.The article emphasizes that the current disposal of virtual currency faces multiple challenges, including ownership identification, value assessment, and legal monetization. To address these issues, it is recommended to promptly issue comprehensive judicial disposal guidelines for virtual currency, clarifying its legal status, compliance requirements, asset disposal procedures, and legal responsibilities.At the same time, the article calls for strengthening international cooperation to jointly address the global challenges posed by virtual currency, laying a legal foundation for the development of the digital economy and digital finance.

ChainCatcher news, People's Court Daily published an article titled "Criminal Identification of Virtual Currency Settlement Payment Assistance Behavior".The article points out that virtual currency settlement payment assistance behavior refers to the act of using virtual currency to provide property transfer assistance for others committing telecom fraud. In the criminal identification of virtual currency settlement payment behavior, it is necessary to grasp the characteristics of the criminal proceeds, the demarcation points between upstream telecom fraud and subsequent concealment or hiding of criminal proceeds and their benefits, as well as the influence of the helper's subjective knowledge and the timing and content of "collusion" on the determination of charges, thereby distinguishing easily confused charges.First, determine whether the object transferred using virtual currency possesses the three characteristics of criminal proceeds, namely property nature, criminal illegality, and certainty. Second, use the completed fraud crime as a boundary point to define whether the virtual currency settlement payment behavior is an act of concealing or hiding criminal proceeds and their benefits, or an act of assisting upstream telecom fraud. Finally, it should be determined whether the virtual currency settlement payment behavior constitutes an accomplice to telecom fraud based on whether the helper conspired with others in advance, whether they only recognized that others were illegally using information networks to commit crimes, or whether they knew that others were committing fraud.In summary, there are three scenarios for the criminal identification of virtual currency settlement payment assistance behavior:The first is when the helper did not conspire with others before the fraud was completed, and after the fraud was completed and the fraudster obtained property with property nature, illegality, and certainty, the helper intentionally provided assistance in virtual currency settlement payment, which constitutes the crime of concealing or hiding criminal proceeds and their benefits.The second is when the helper objectively engaged in acts of concealing or hiding criminal proceeds, but formed a mental connection with others regarding the fraud before the fraud was completed, and their behavior should be recognized as an accomplice to the fraud crime; if the helper formed a mental connection with others regarding the implementation of online criminal activities after the fraud was completed, their behavior constitutes the crime of assisting information network criminal activities.The third is when the fraud crime is not completed or the property does not possess the three characteristics of criminal proceeds, but the helper knowingly provides virtual currency settlement payment services for others committing fraud, which should be recognized as an accomplice to the fraud crime; if the helper knows that others are committing online criminal activities but does not know the specific crime being committed, they should be held criminally responsible for assisting information network criminal activities.