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More Money Can Mean More Problems: The Evolution of Coverage for Cryptocurrency

9/20/19

bitcoin; cryptocurrency

By: Danny Walsh and Isis Miranda

Businesses, governments, and non-profits across the globe are implementing projects that leverage blockchain, a digital ledger technology, to improve their operations.

Cryptocurrency is one of the more controversial uses of blockchain technology. Although Bitcoin is the most dominant cryptocurrency, there are approximately 2,600 cryptocurrencies valuing over $260 billion. As cryptocurrencies become widely accessible through mobile applications combined with increased self-regulation, including voluntary leverage caps, the current trend toward acceptance by governments will continue.

As with early insurance claims arising in the world of cyber, traditional forms of cover are being updated to reflect the scope of coverage, and altogether new forms are in the works.

Coverage for cryptocurrency under traditional insurance policies may depend on how the term is defined. An Ohio court relied on an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) definition in holding that the insured’s stolen Bitcoin valued at $16,000 was “property” under his insurance policy. Kimmelman v. Wayne Ins. Grp., No. 18 CV 1041 (Ct. Com. Pl. Sep. 25, 2018). IRS Notice 2014-21 states as follows: “For federal tax purposes, virtual currency is treated as property” and is therefore subject to capital gains taxes. Accordingly, when the insured in Kimmelman submitted his claim for stolen Bitcoin, the insurer concluded that Bitcoin constituted “money” under the policy and, therefore, was subject to the policy’s $200 sublimit. In the subsequent coverage litigation, the trial court rejected the insurer’s argument that the stolen Bitcoin constituted “money” and denied the insurer’s motion for judgment on the pleadings. The court, however, did not address the policy’s definition of “property,” which may have limited coverage to loss of “tangible property.”

Federal courts have consistently held that Bitcoin is “money or funds” under federal law governing money transmission. A Florida appellate court also held that selling Bitcoin constitutes “money transmission” for purposes of the state’s money transmission law. State v. Espinoza, 264 So.3d 1055 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2019). Defendant Espinoza was charged with money laundering and engaging in the business of a money transmitter without a license. He sold Bitcoin to an undercover agent of the Miami Beach Police Department after the agent said he planned to use the Bitcoin for illicit purposes. The trial court dismissed the charges against Espinoza, but the appellate court overturned the dismissal. The appellate court conceded that Bitcoin is not “currency,” but based its ruling on the fact that it has “monetary value” since it can be exchanged for currency.

The issue of whether crypto assets, including cryptocurrencies and digital tokens, constitute securities subject to regulation is still in flux. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken the position that cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are not “securities” because they are designed to operate like currency. On the other hand, the SEC has stated that other cryptocurrencies that act as digital tokens do constitute securities and that initial coin offerings (ICO’s), which involve digital tokens, are subject to securities regulations.

In the insurance context, a significant issue is whether cryptocurrency or digital tokens are viewed as “money,” “property,” “securities,” or some other term. Currently, some policies expressly include or exclude coverage for cryptocurrencies. For example, crime and fidelity ISO forms can have either a broad virtual currency exclusion or an “Include Virtual Currency as Money” endorsement, which revises the definition of “money” to include virtual currency.

We will be following the development of crypto cover policy forms as the use, acceptance, and regulation of cryptocurrencies emerge and evolve in the years to come.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Danny Walsh at dwalsh@fmglaw.com or Isis Miranda at isis.miranda@fmglaw.com.