UK Treasury Publishes Draft Law Integrating Cryptoassets into Financial Regulation Scope ∞ Regulation

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Briefing

The UK Treasury has published the draft Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Cryptoassets) Order 2025, fundamentally integrating core digital asset activities into the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) regulatory perimeter. This action immediately mandates that entities engaged in stablecoin issuance, platform operation, custody, and dealing must seek full authorization from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), replacing the existing limited VASP registration regime. The most critical consequence is the introduction of new “specified investments” and “specified activities,” which sets the legal precedent for applying the full force of UK financial law, including market abuse and conduct rules, to the sector by the end of the year.

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Context

Prior to this draft Order, the UK’s regulatory approach was fragmented, primarily relying on the existing Anti-Money Laundering (AML) registration regime for Cryptoasset Exchange Providers and Custodian Wallet Providers (VASPs). This left a significant gap in the prudential, market conduct, and consumer protection oversight of the core business activities like trading, custody, and issuance, which were not explicitly defined as regulated financial activities under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. This ambiguity created legal and operational risk for firms seeking institutional legitimacy and for regulators seeking effective market oversight.

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Analysis

The Order necessitates a comprehensive re-evaluation of business architecture, specifically impacting compliance frameworks, product structuring, and capital requirements. Firms operating a trading platform must now integrate market abuse surveillance systems and adhere to conduct rules equivalent to traditional financial venues. The explicit designation of “safeguarding and administering” as a regulated activity means custodians must update their operational resilience and client asset protection protocols to meet stringent FCA standards. This cause-and-effect chain transforms the compliance function from a simple AML check to a full-scale financial services regulatory operation, dramatically increasing the cost and complexity of operating within the UK.

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Parameters

Consultation Deadline ∞ May 23, 2025 ∞ The final date for industry technical comments on the draft legislation.
Key Legislative Vehicle ∞ The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Cryptoassets) Order 2025 ∞ The specific draft statutory instrument establishing the new framework.
New Regulated Activities ∞ Stablecoin issuance, safeguarding, trading platform operation, dealing, arranging deals, and staking ∞ The new core business functions brought under the regulatory perimeter.

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Outlook

The forward-looking perspective centers on the implementation timeline, with HMT intending to legislate by the end of the year, followed by the FCA and PRA issuing detailed Level 2 rules in 2026. The action sets a powerful precedent by defining the scope of regulated crypto-asset activities, providing a template for other jurisdictions considering a full integration model rather than a bespoke, siloed crypto-law. The industry’s focus now shifts from policy debate to the technical details of the Level 2 rules, which will determine the practical feasibility and cost of compliance.

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Verdict

This legislative action is the definitive pivot point for the UK digital asset market, transforming it from an unregulated frontier into a formalized, high-standard financial services sector.

Digital asset regulation, Financial services law, Cryptoasset trading platforms, Stablecoin issuance rules, Custody and safeguarding, Regulatory perimeter expansion, UK financial markets, Legislative framework, Designated investments, Market abuse controls, Prudential considerations, Anti-money laundering, VASP registration, Operational resilience Signal Acquired from ∞ taylorwessing.com