The Financial Conduct Authority published five policy statements on 30 June 2026. They complete the UK's cryptoasset regulatory regime and close the FCA Crypto Roadmap. The statements implement the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026, passed by Parliament on 4 February 2026. The publication concludes a phased programme of consultation and finalisation covering conduct, prudential, and consumer protection requirements for cryptoasset businesses.
The regime's primary legislative base is the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026. Those Regulations designated a broad range of cryptoasset activities as requiring Part 4A FSMA authorisation. This extended FCA oversight well beyond previous anti-money laundering registration and financial promotions standards. The five policy statements set out specific conduct rules, prudential requirements, and guidance across all regulated activities.
Trading platforms, intermediaries, custodians, stablecoin issuers, and firms arranging staking must obtain FCA authorisation under Part 4A FSMA. The application window opens 30 September 2026 and closes 28 February 2027. The mandatory regime takes effect 25 October 2027. Retail clients of authorised firms gain standardised risk warnings and a 24-hour cooling-off period. They also gain access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and client money protections in platform insolvency. Crypto firms must demonstrate capital adequacy to absorb losses from risky positions.
The FCA will publish a further policy statement in September 2026 defining how the perimeter applies to specific cryptoasset activities. DeFi guidance and operational resilience requirements for distributed ledger technology firms are expected in separate consultations later in 2026. Stablecoin capital requirements were reduced to 1% in the finalised rules, from earlier proposals. Firms with existing FCA anti-money laundering registrations must assess whether those registrations satisfy the new Part 4A authorisation requirement.
Licentium advises crypto trading platforms, custodians, stablecoin issuers, and staking intermediaries on UK regulatory authorisation. We help firms understand Part 4A FSMA requirements and FCA application strategy, and our partner network supports firms through the authorisation process. Work we undertake includes crypto regulatory authorisation strategy, FCA application preparation, conduct rules compliance, anti-money laundering advisory, and stablecoin structuring.
Source: Financial Conduct Authority, Cryptoassets Regime Policy Statements, 30 June 2026