Crypto to be regulated in the UK from October 2027
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced that crypto will be regulated in the UK from October 2027. The regulator said it is now in the process of finalising the wider cryptoasset regime, with rules to be published this summer.
Parliament has now confirmed which cryptoasset activities will fall within the scope of regulation. Building on that, the FCA said it is consulting on new guidance to help firms understand how they might be affected by the regulatory regime for cryptoassets.
The FCA is seeking feedback on its interpretation of the following regulated cryptoasset activities:
- Issuing qualifying stablecoin
- Operating trading platforms
- Dealing and arranging deals in qualifying cryptoassets
- Safeguarding cryptoassets
- Staking
“The proposed guidance supports the FCA’s aim for an open, sustainable and competitive crypto market people can trust,” the regulator said.
“Crypto firms will be able to start applying for authorisation from September 2026. Ahead of this, the FCA is providing crypto firms with support on how to apply and to understand how the future regime could work.
“Until the new regime comes into force, crypto is largely unregulated except for financial promotions and financial crime purposes. As with all high-risk investments, people should only put in what they can afford to lose.”
The full consultation document can be found here. Consultation closes on 3 June 2026.
Later this year, the FCA will consult on decentralised finance (DeFi) guidance and separately on operational resilience guidance for firms using distributed ledger technology (DLT). It will also consult on updates to the Financial Crime Guide relevant to cryptoasset firms.
