The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said Wednesday it is consulting on guidance for the country’s future crypto regime, in the latest step toward a broader framework that is expected to take effect on Oct. 25, 2027.
In a statement published Wednesday, the FCA said it is seeking industry feedback on the guidance to help companies understand how they might be affected by the regime. The full consultation text is available on the FCA website, with the feedback window closing on June 3, 2026.
The regulator said the guidance will clarify requirements for areas such as stablecoin issuance, crypto trading, custody and staking. “We want to develop a competitive and sustainable cryptoasset sector where UK consumers are served by authorised cryptoasset firms and can make informed decisions,” the FCA said.
The guidance consultation follows a run of FCA rule consultations published since late 2025 covering trading platforms, intermediaries, prudential standards, admissions and disclosures, market abuse, and how the FCA Handbook will apply to crypto companies. Until the regime comes into force, crypto in the UK remains only partially regulated, mainly restricted to areas such as financial promotions and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations.
Related: UK regulator takes High Court action against HTX over crypto promotions
Authorization window opens later this year
According to the FCA, the broader crypto regime is expected to come into force in October 2027, but companies will be able to start applying for authorization as early as September 2026.
That aligns with the authority’s timeline published in January, when it said the license application period would open in September. According to the FCA, the application period is expected to end in February 2027.
The FCA previously said that the authorization under the upcoming crypto regime will not be automatically granted to companies that have already been registered under existing Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) and payment-related frameworks.
According to the plan, all companies providing regulated crypto asset services in the UK will need to be authorized under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA).
Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026