Spain’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Bit2Me, has officially launched a dedicated corporate entity called Bit2Shield to handle the tracing, seizure, secure storage, and liquidation of digital assets for law enforcement, courts, and financial institutions, according to company announcements. Registered legally as CryptoShield S.L., the new firm manages forensic operations and operational services from the moment authorities identify cryptocurrency during an investigation up to its final court-ordered liquidation.
Expanding Law Enforcement Support Into a Dedicated Firm
Bit2Shield formalizes a division that previously operated as an internal specialized unit for government bodies. According to Bit2Me, the exchange processed approximately €1.5 million ($1.5 million) in seized cryptocurrency throughout 2025 for agencies including Interpol, Europol, and the Spanish National Police. Asset tracking during these operations relied on blockchain analytics tools provided by Chainalysis, with Bit2Me subsequently converting the digital assets into euros for state transfer.
The newly formed entity assists investigators during raids by extracting wallet information and locating digital asset holdings. Bit2Shield also drafts electronic-signature forensic reports suitable for court submissions. Its expanded operational scope includes fraud investigations, source-of-funds verification, and specialized training programs for police officers, judges, and financial sector personnel.
Secure Storage and Regulatory-Compliant Liquidation
Once authorities identify and seize digital assets, Bit2Shield secures them within cold wallets protected by multi-signature architecture. The assets remain in offline storage until the presiding court or competent authority issues a formal disposal order. When liquidation is ordered, Bit2Shield coordinates the process, while the actual conversion from cryptocurrency to euros is executed by Bitcoinforme S.L., another subsidiary under the Bit2Me umbrella.
Bitcoinforme operates as a registered entity authorized by the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) of Spain under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. Following the conversion, the resulting fiat currency is transferred directly to government bank accounts. Bit2Me clarifies that Bit2Shield itself does not qualify as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under MiCA guidelines, as its core functions center on investigation, digital forensics, and institutional training, leaving regulated conversion tasks to Bitcoinforme.
Institutional Partnerships and Wider Industry Trends
The launch of Bit2Shield coincides with Bit2Me’s broader expansion into financial infrastructure for traditional banking institutions. In June, Spanish banking group Cecabank secured regulatory approval for crypto custody, transfer, and order-handling services, subsequently launching a regulated digital asset platform for institutional clients. Under that operational model, Bit2Me provides trade execution, market liquidity, and currency exchange layers, while Cecabank supplies institutional custody and banking infrastructure. Renta 4 Banco emerged as one of the early financial institutions to utilize this platform for developing client-facing crypto services.
Bit2Me’s corporate growth is backed by significant investments from both traditional finance and crypto enterprises. Tether led a €30 million funding round in 2025 to support Bit2Me’s expansion across Europe and Latin America, following the exchange’s acquisition of MiCA regulatory compliance. Additional financial backing has come from institutions such as Bankinter, Unicaja, Cecabank, and telecommunications firm Telefónica.
This professionalization of seized digital asset management mirrors similar developments internationally. In August, the Korean National Police Agency finalized a one-year public procurement contract with Dunamu, the operator of the Upbit exchange, to handle the secure custody of confiscated cryptocurrencies using offline cold wallets and multi-party computation (MPC) technology. Similarly, Spanish law enforcement frequently encounters hidden digital assets during criminal probes, such as an April operation by the Spanish National Police in Almería where officers recovered approximately €40만 ($40만) in cryptocurrency stored on two cold wallets concealed inside a wall-mounted thermometer during a copyright infringement investigation.