Updated
Updated · CoinDesk · Jul 11
UK Finalizes Crypto Rules, Cuts Stablecoin Reserves to 30% to Bolster Hub Ambitions
Updated
Updated · CoinDesk · Jul 11

UK Finalizes Crypto Rules, Cuts Stablecoin Reserves to 30% to Bolster Hub Ambitions

2 articles · Updated · CoinDesk · Jul 11

Summary

  • The FCA has finalized the UK’s crypto regime, setting capital, disclosure and conduct rules as regulators move from consultation to implementation.
  • The Bank of England paired that with a softer stablecoin framework, dropping proposed holding limits and reducing required central-bank reserves for issuers from 40% to 30%.
  • Those changes reverse parts of a tougher 2025 approach that had capped individuals at £20,000 and businesses at £10 million in systemic sterling stablecoins, drawing industry criticism that the UK was stifling scale.
  • A £40 billion cap on any single systemic sterling stablecoin still remains, while the FCA plans further consultation later this year on rules once an issuer is deemed systemic.
  • The broader test comes by October 2027, when UK crypto firms must be authorized under the new regime, with unresolved issues including DeFi, operational resilience and digital-asset tax treatment.

Insights

Will Britain's new crypto-friendly rules finally force high-street banks to open their doors to digital assets for everyone?
By easing rules to attract crypto firms, is the UK risking future financial instability for short-term economic gain?
With US crypto regulation facing turmoil, can the UK's new rules truly make it the world's dominant digital asset hub?