You run an exchange serving the United Kingdom. Registration, staking treatment and transfer-information rules set the shape of your compliance year.
Information, not advice
This page is information, not legal advice about your matter. A retainer begins only when a lawyer confirms it.
Start here
Know which rules already apply to you, before you add anything new
Adding a service changes what your FCA registration covers. Checking where you stand first is what stops a launch turning into a remediation exercise.
What to work through, in order
Registration and licensing
Cryptoasset businesses must register with the FCA under the Money Laundering Regulations before carrying on business in the UK. Registration is assessed on systems and controls, and the FCA has refused a substantial share of applications.
Staking, lending and yield
Yield arrangements can amount to a collective investment scheme or a specified investment, and promoting them is separately restricted. The FCA has focused closely on how returns are presented to retail customers.
Transfer information and record keeping
The Money Laundering Regulations apply the travel rule to cryptoasset transfers, requiring originator and beneficiary information to travel with the transaction and be retained.
Next steps
What happens if you go ahead
Scoping call
Written scope and fixed-fee quote
Engagement, once a lawyer confirms
Who would handle it
Offices
London
25 Southampton Buildings, London WC2A 1AL