Germany’s Bundestag approved the Customs Financial Justice Act on November 12, 2026, granting customs authorities power to temporarily seize assets whose lawful origin looks doubtful before any criminal proceedings begin. The general trigger is a value above €100,000, dropping to €50,000 for registerable items such as real estate and vehicles, and reasonable suspicion is enough — no conviction or indictment required. Crypto is explicitly in scope under the EU’s MiCA regulation, which covers bitcoin among a broad set of recognized digital assets, although no specific token or company is singled out. Customs may hold assets for up to 30 days without proceedings, a finance court can extend the hold by up to 150 more days (180 days maximum), and permanent confiscation requires a separate judicial ruling. The law forms part of Germany’s campaign against organised crime and money laundering, supports the Financial Intelligence Unit and expands data-sharing between authorities, and passed with votes from the CDU/CSU, the SPD and the AfD. The government projects roughly €308 million in annual revenue by 2028. The act is not yet in force: it awaits Bundesrat approval for a January 1, 2027 start date.
Source: Read the original article
