It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the sixth edition of CDR Essential Intelligence: Fraud, Asset Tracing & Recovery.  Peters & Peters is delighted to serve again as the contributing editor to this comprehensive guide on a vital and ever-relevant sphere of work. Global events continue to drive change in this area.  Key conflicts, elections and technological advancements have dominated headlines over the last 12 months.  A change of regime in the United States brings uncertainty to Europe, now reckoning keenly with its future.  The spectre of catastrophes past, like Covid-19, seems much diminished in the face of a pressing cost-of-living crisis and a multi-continental jostling for position over artificial intelligence. The world in 2025 seems precarious and unpredictable.  One thing has remained constant, however – fraud.  In fact, fraud is more than constant.  It has reared its ugly head brazenly over the parapet, taking advantage of deepfakes and voice cloning to keep its position as the most common crime in the UK.  In January 2025 alone, there were over 27,000 reports of fraud to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau representing more than £149m in losses. The use of sophisticated technology has dissipated any notion that fraud is targeted solely at hapless, vulnerable people.  We now see businesspeople, lawyers and wealthy families falling victim to scam artists who push false urgency or incredible deals to solicit money.  Some fraudsters even pay out to victims multiple times, enticing them into a seemingly credible business deal before issuing the killing blow in the form a massive advance fee.  The UK government continues with a three-word campaign – STOP! THINK FRAUD – which is something that even the most astute amongst us should now observe. Where fraud goes, industry follows.  The new wave of asset misappropriation has brought with it firms which hold themselves out as wealth recovery specialists, their websites littered with glittering reviews.  As with new technology, perhaps the most we can say is that the development of these firms shall remain to be seen. None of this is to mention the shockwaves created by the bloating and collapsing of cryptocurrency empires.  The law has scrambled to keep up with developments in the sphere, and has in some ways kept up.  Cryptoassets are increasingly recognised as property, and recent legislation has allowed enforcement officers to seize cryptoassets obtained through unlawful conduct.  It is no longer unusual to see applications seeking interim relief in relation to misappropriated cryptoassets, with the English courts demonstrating a willingness to grant relief against “persons unknown”. These examples show that all is not lost.  As this publication demonstrates, the fight to safeguard and recover assets continues with zeal.  The following chapters give a clear and comprehensive overview of the practice of fraud, asset tracing and recovery litigation in a number of countries around the world.  It works towards global innovation and best practice through the sharing of knowledge and expertise. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the tireless efforts of our contributing authors, who include some of the world’s leading law firms, and a wide range of expert practitioners, barristers’ chambers and forensic accountants.  Their generous contributions to this project have established an invaluable holistic picture of the international legal response to fraud and asset misappropriation, which we hope will be useful for our readers both now and for many years to come.