How OSINT and blockchain forensics can support the investigation of companies, investments, real estate leads and cryptocurrencies.
Whitepaper 2026
Executive Summary
Assets can be concealed or transferred. However, digital and financial traces are often more difficult to erase than the underlying asset declarations.
In 2024, in Germany 129,337 marriages dissolved. The average duration of marriage until divorce was 14.7 years; in 65,723 divorces, minor children were affected – not a marginal issue, but a permanently relevant area of private property disputes.
| Key figure | Germany 2024 |
|---|---|
| Divorces | 129.337 |
| Average duration of marriage until divorce | 14.7 years |
| Divorces involving minor children | 65.723 |
Source: Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), Divorces 2024 and key figures on divorces.
In parallel, cryptocurrencies have reached a significant portion of the population: According to Bitkom (2025), 8 % of respondents aged 16 and over Four others have already bought cryptocurrencies, another four are definitely planning to do so, and 14 can imagine doing so. The most relevant group is those who acquired crypto at some point – regardless of whether they are still actively trading it today.
If we apply the crypto usage rate not as a fact, but merely as a scenario to 129,337 divorces, 5 % would correspond to approximately 6,467 cases, 8 % to approximately 10,347 cases, and 10 % to approximately 12,934 cases per year. This calculation shows orders of magnitude, not the actual number of divorces involving crypto.
In a community of accrued gains, the assets of the spouses generally remain separate; upon termination of the marital property regime, the gains accrued during the marriage are compared. This calculation requires that the initial and final assets, as well as any relevant decreases in assets, be fully and transparently recorded.
Section 1379 of the German Civil Code (BGB) allows, under the conditions specified therein, information about the assets at the time of separation as well as about the assets relevant for the initial and final assets; supporting documents must be submitted upon request. Forensically documented irregularities and contradictions help lawyers to formulate specific requests for information and supporting documents.
According to Section 1375 of the German Civil Code (BGB), certain reductions in assets can be added to the final assets. Therefore, forensically relevant are not only existing assets, but also unusual outflows, transfers, and asset shifts occurring in the period surrounding separation and divorce.
The existence and value of an asset at the relevant time must be considered separately. Especially with volatile cryptocurrencies, a historical reconstruction is necessary: Which assets existed, in what quantity, and at what verifiable market value?
Finanz Forensik does not replace legal advice. The forensic task consists of the technical and economic reconstruction as well as the comprehensible documentation of findings and investigative approaches.
The Federal Fiscal Court has ruled on virtual currencies (currency) TokenDigital assets are classified as economic goods (Judgment of 14 February 2023, IX R 3/22). Therefore, digital assets are economically assessable items – the practical difficulty usually lies in their classification and reconstruction.
A wallet address typically doesn't contain a real name, but the transactions are permanently visible on many public blockchains. The central point of contention: The transaction is visible, but the economic attribution to a person must be reliably established.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 governs information obligations for cryptocurrency asset transfers via cryptocurrency service providers. This data is not freely accessible to private forensic investigators – however, blockchain analysis can document that a flow of assets leads to a specific service provider. This may provide a concrete basis for legal or regulatory action.
Recent purchases aren't the only factor to consider: it's equally important whether either spouse acquired cryptocurrencies at some point in the past. Early purchases can have a completely different economic value today due to long-term price fluctuations.
Not just: "Does your spouse own cryptocurrencies today?" but: "Has your spouse ever bought, transferred, stored, or worked with crypto exchanges?"„
Illustrative example: 10 BTC at €500 per Bitcoin represented an investment of €5,000. At a later price of €70,000 per BTC, the same 10 BTC would be worth €700,000 – assuming they still exist. This is not a statement about typical returns or current prices, but rather an indication of the potential leverage of long-term price appreciation.
An early purchase doesn't prove the existence of assets today: assets may have been sold, lost, gifted, or transferred to other wallets. This is precisely why reconstruction is relevant – old bank transfers, emails, wallet addresses, tax documents, or stock market accounts provide entry points for further transaction paths.
Wealth disclosure is significantly broader than blockchain analysis. OSINT systematically combines publicly available traces of a person and their economic environment – with a clear distinction between proven fact, verifiable evidence, and mere assumption.
| Asset area | Possible OSINT/forensic approaches |
|---|---|
| Companies and investments | Commercial register, company register, annual financial statements, managing director and shareholder remuneration, affiliated companies |
| Property information | Public business and address information, companies with a real estate purpose, published transactions; land registry data only with legally permissible access. |
| Foreign connections | foreign company registers, economic connections, branches, publicly accessible registers and publications |
| Digital business models | Domains, websites, online shops, platform profiles, historical websites, payment and contact information |
| Value and lifestyle indicators | Publicly documented high-value vehicles, boats, trips or other asset indicators – only as a starting point, not as proof of wealth |
| Receivables and loans | publicly recognizable business relationships, company documents, court decisions or other indications of receivables |
| Crypto references | Exchanges, wallet apps, hardware wallets, transaction notes, tax documents, payment flows to crypto service providers |
A noticeable discrepancy between declared income or assets and publicly visible lifestyle can be a starting point for investigation – but it is not proof of hidden wealth. Professional OSINT work identifies such observations as an indication and corroborates them with further sources.
A three-stage model is recommended for structured processing.
The questions are deliberately pointed. They are not intended to create suspicion, but rather to reveal gaps in memory and potential avenues for investigation. A "yes" answer does not mean that assets were concealed – only that a more thorough examination might be advisable.
Are you sure you are only separating from your spouse – and not from assets whose existence you are unaware of?
The following example serves solely to illustrate a possible logic of investigation.
| element | Example |
|---|---|
| Initial situation | Marriage since 2012, separation in 2025. Stated total assets of one spouse: EUR 420,000. |
| Memories of the other spouse | Previous Bitcoin purchases, multiple companies, use of a Crypto exchange, indications of real estate investments. |
| OSINT findings | Two company holdings, previous management experience, economic connection to another company. |
| Blockchain Entry | A well-known historical transaction from a cryptocurrency exchange to a wallet. |
| analysis | Redirects via multiple wallets, asset swaps, and subsequent inflow to a centralized crypto service provider. |
| Evaluation | The technical analysis documents a possible asset trajectory and any open allocation questions. The legal assessment and further information gathering will be carried out by the appointed attorney. |
Reputable asset disclosure defines its limits. OSINT and blockchain forensics document clues, connections, and transaction chains – they do not replace official disclosure rights or judicial evaluation of evidence.
The strongest constellation is the division of labor: lawyer for legal strategy, information and procedural issues; Financial forensics for technical, economic and digital reconstruction.
The quality of an equalization of accrued gains depends significantly on the quality of the asset information. In an increasingly digital world of wealth management, it is therefore often no longer sufficient to simply look at account balances and submitted statements.
As of October 2026 · not legal advice in individual cases.
David Lüdtke
Managing Director · OSINT Analyst & Crypto Forensic Expert · Finanz Forensik GmbH
Court-admissible crypto transaction analysis, OSINT-based asset investigation, and expert reports for defense attorneys, insolvency administrators, and companies. Certified Crystal Expert (CECF, CEEI, CEUI). Finanz Forensik Supports law firms, companies, investigative bodies and insolvency administrators — focus areas: Blockchain forensics, wallet analysis, court-admissible documentation, OSINT.
Contact: postfach@finanz-forensik.de · +49 6057 9189145 · finanz-forensik.de
We reconstruct crypto holdings, corporate connections and digital asset trails – with clearly separated facts, evidence and hypotheses, prepared for your lawyer.
