Crypto Legal is pleased to announce that our Senior Fraud Lawyer, Manuel Dueñas, has been recognised as Blockchain Law Expert of the Year in the United Kingdom at the Leaders in Law Global Awards 2026.
Manuel advises on complex cryptocurrency and blockchain-related fraud matters, including digital asset misappropriation, investment scams, and cross-border tracing strategies. His work focuses on fraud investigations, asset tracing, and AML and KYC compliance, working alongside forensic specialists to develop structured recovery strategies for individuals, businesses, and financial institutions operating within the digital asset sector.
His practice regularly involves the identification and analysis of illicit on-chain activity, tracing of funds through custodial and non-custodial infrastructure, and the development of legal strategies in matters where assets have been transferred across multiple jurisdictions or subjected to layering techniques intended to conceal origin or ownership. In such cases, coordination between legal analysis and blockchain forensic methodologies is essential in order to establish transactional histories, identify exchange exposure points, and determine the most appropriate compliance or recovery pathway.
In addition to fraud-related advisory work, Manuel provides guidance on regulatory exposure arising from token issuance, exchange operations, and decentralised finance participation, particularly where firms are subject to AML and KYC obligations across multiple jurisdictions. This includes assessing governance structures, transactional monitoring frameworks, and operational risk to ensure alignment with applicable regulatory standards in the United Kingdom and internationally.
Crypto Legal operates across the United Kingdom and the United States, providing legal and forensic support in relation to claims and disputes, securities and investment fraud, due diligence, asset tracing, and regulatory advisory matters. Our lawyers and blockchain specialists work across both the legal and technical dimensions of digital asset risk, assisting clients with recovery of inaccessible or misappropriated assets, exchange compliance obligations, operational risk management, and implementation of AML and KYC controls.
This recognition comes at a time of increasing international regulatory coordination across jurisdictions, including the UAE, United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Singapore, where digital asset service providers are required to navigate evolving licensing regimes, enforcement expectations, and compliance standards.
Further insight into the global legal professionals contributing to this regulatory landscape can be found at https://www.leaders-in-law.com/leading-crypto-lawyers-shaping-global-crypto-regulation-in-2026-uae-us-uk-switzerland-singapore/
Manuel’s recognition highlights the importance of forensic led legal strategy in responding to crypto-related fraud and regulatory challenges within an increasingly harmonised global framework.