Effects of digital assets on Turkish succession law: comparative law examples

Recent advancements in digital technology have significantly impacted various aspects of human life, necessitating the reevaluation of the assets and values held by individuals. With these technological developments, digital assets such as cryptocurrencies, social media accounts, domain names, online gaming accounts, email accounts, and similar assets have emerged as prominent features of modern life, becoming integral components of both personal and financial portfolios due to their increasing value. Currently, there is no specific regulation within inheritance law governing the disposition of such digital assets upon the death of the individual owner. Addressing these assets, which differ substantially from traditional forms of property, without proper legal regulation—particularly in a field like inheritance law, which is characterized by mandatory provisions—may not resolve existing challenges. On the contrary, it is likely to create new legal issues, many of which are already beginning to surface in practice. In this study, we will explore whether digital assets may constitute the subject matter of inheritance law, examine their impact on the provisions governing inheritance, and, finally, present our proposed solutions for addressing digital assets within this legal framework.