Digital Assets: Private Law, Regulation and Practice

The Centre for Business Law and Practice is proud to announce a two-day event dedicated to exploring the evolving landscape of digital assets and the digitalisation of trade documents.

Event Overview

During 13–14 May 2024, the Centre for Business Law and Practice will be hosting a two-day event dedicated to exploring the evolving landscape of digital assets and the digitalisation of trade documents. This event will bring together leading experts to discuss the latest legal developments and challenges in these dynamic areas of law.

Event Details

• Dates: 13–14 May 2024
• Venue: School of Law, University of Leeds. Room TBC
• Registration: Please register in advance via this form.

Day 1: Digitalisation of Trade Documents

The first day focuses on the digitalization of trade documents in the international context, examining pivotal developments like the new Electronic Trade Documents Act 2023 and the Law Commission report that foreshadowed it. We will explore the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law’s (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records, addressing the challenges of converting traditional paper trade documents, such as bills of lading and bills of exchange, into electronic form.

Featured speakers:

• Professor Sarah Green, Law Commissioner for Commercial and Common Law
• Luca Castellani, Legal Officer at UNCITRAL

Day 2: Private Law, Regulation, and Practice of Digital Assets

The second day’s conference delves into the private law, regulation, and practices surrounding digital assets and cryptocurrencies. The session will tackle the legal uncertainties and debates concerning the nature of digital assets, legal title, transfer methods, security interests, and intermediated holdings. The Law Commission’s report ‘Digital Assets’ and its examination of digital assets as a tertium quid, along with the ongoing project on Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs), will be central to the discussions.

Featured speakers:

• Professor Kelvin Low, National University of Singapore
• Hin Liu, University of Oxford

Further Information

Further details, including the full programme and registration instructions, will be available via this website shortly. In the meantime, if you have any questions or require further information, feel free to contact the event organisers:

• Professor Duncan Sheehan (d.k.sheehan@leeds.ac.uk)
• Dr Karina Patricio Ferreira Lima (k.patricio@leeds.ac.uk)