The Financial Services and Markets Bill, made public on Oct. 25, aims to enhance the U.K.’s position as a “global leader in financial services” — but what is more important is that it contains some new definitions for crypto products.
The bill moves stablecoins from the category of crypto assets to digital settlement assets (DSA) — a new category marked by its potential “to develop into a widespread means of payment.” It’s yet to be seen what regulations the DSA will be subject to and if this change of status will guarantee them a green light for adoption. But, even that scope of change brings optimism.
It seems we may witness unprecedently active pro-crypto regulation on the islands, given Sunak’s known ambitions on the matter. The new PM voiced has previously voiced his support for crypto and even commissioned the Royal Mint to issue a nonfungible token (NFT) by the end of the year during his time as the head of the treasury. However, the industry still faces pressure from local banks, which try to block businesses and individuals from investing in cryptocurrency.
