Maastricht Law Series 4 - Cryptocrimes

This dissertation explores the intersection of criminal law and technological innovation, focussing on the legal responses to crimes involving crypto-assets. The use of crypto‑assets has grown rapidly, offering not only new opportunities but also significant legal and regulatory challenges. While these assets have gained mainstream adoption, their use for illicit purposes continues to increase, testing the boundaries of existing legal frameworks. This study examines the extent to which cryptocrimes are addressed within the legal frameworks of the European Union and the Netherlands. The author adopts an interdisciplinary and normative approach to identify and categorise key forms of cryptocrime and evaluates the adequacy of relevant legal frameworks. Where shortcomings are identified, the book offers proposals for legal reform based on the principle of crypto and non-crypto equivalence. In doing so, the dissertation contributes to ongoing academic and policy debates surrounding crypto‑assets and criminal law. Laurie Ritzen LL.M. is an assistant professor at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology at Maastricht University. She conducted her doctoral research on cryptocrimes at the Department of Criminal Law at Tilburg University.