On 30 June 2026 the FCA published five landmark Policy Statements (PS26/9–13) finalising the UK's crypto rulebook. Here's what each one covers, when the rules bite, and what the new regime actually means for ordinary British crypto users.
Important Risk Warning
This is not financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments are highly volatile. The value of your investment can go down as well as up, and you could lose all the money you invest. Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you put in.
On 30 June 2026 the FCA published five Policy Statements — PS26/9 through PS26/13 — that finalise the rulebook for the UK's new cryptoasset regime. Together they set the rules for how crypto is admitted to trading, how stablecoins are issued, which crypto activities need authorisation, the financial standards firms must meet, and how the wider FCA rulebook applies. Firms can apply for authorisation from 30 September 2026, and the mandatory regime goes fully live on 25 October 2027. For ordinary UK users, it's the moment crypto stops being a regulatory grey area and starts becoming properly overseen.
This is genuinely a big deal — the most significant shift in how Britain treats crypto in years — even if the full effect won't land until late 2027. Here's what each statement actually does.
They're the finalised rules covering market conduct, stablecoins, regulated activities, prudential standards, and the wider rulebook. Here's the plain-English breakdown:
| Statement | What it covers |
|---|---|
| PS26/9 | Admissions, disclosures and market abuse rules for cryptoassets |
| PS26/10 | Stablecoin issuance |
| PS26/11 | Regulated cryptoasset activities (who needs authorisation) |
| PS26/12 | The prudential regime (financial standards for crypto firms) |
| PS26/13 | How the wider FCA Handbook applies to crypto activities |
In short: PS26/9 tackles market integrity and abuse, PS26/10 sets the stablecoin rules, PS26/11 defines which businesses must be authorised (exchanges, custodians, intermediaries, stablecoin issuers and firms arranging staking), PS26/12 sets capital and financial-soundness requirements, and PS26/13 slots crypto into the FCA's existing rulebook. Our FCA authorisation gateway guide covers the licensing process itself.
The timeline is staged: authorisation opens 30 September 2026, closes 28 February 2027, and the full regime goes live 25 October 2027. The underlying law — The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026 — was passed by Parliament on 4 February 2026. Firms wanting to operate legally in the UK must apply for authorisation (or vary existing permissions) during that five-month window, with pre-application meetings opening in July 2026.
Until the regime goes live in October 2027, the FCA's oversight of crypto firms remains limited to financial promotions and anti-money-laundering rules — the situation UK users have been in for a while. So there's a real gap between "the rules are written" (now) and "the rules fully bite" (late 2027). Don't assume every protection is live yet; the transition matters. Our is crypto legal in the UK guide covers the current state.
More protection and more accountability — eventually. Once the regime is live, authorised crypto firms will fall under the FCA's Consumer Duty, retail customers will get access to the Financial Ombudsman Service for the first time, and there'll be client money protections and market-abuse rules. That's a meaningful upgrade from the current buyer-beware environment, where if a platform fails or treats you badly, your options are thin.
The trade-off is that the crypto landscape may narrow: firms that can't meet the standards, or don't want to be authorised, may exit the UK market. That could mean fewer platforms and coins available here, but the ones that remain should be more accountable. It's the classic regulation bargain — less wild-west freedom, more consumer safety. We cover the new complaint rights in our Financial Ombudsman guide and the stablecoin change in our 1% reserve rule guide.
What did the FCA publish on 30 June 2026? Five Policy Statements (PS26/9 to PS26/13) finalising the rules for the UK's new cryptoasset regime. They cover market conduct and abuse, stablecoin issuance, which activities need authorisation, financial standards for firms, and how the wider FCA rulebook applies to crypto.
When do the FCA's new crypto rules take effect? Firms can apply for authorisation from 30 September 2026 until 28 February 2027, and the full regime goes live on 25 October 2027. Until then, FCA oversight of crypto firms stays limited to financial promotions and anti-money-laundering requirements.
Will the new rules make crypto safer in the UK? They should improve protections once live — authorised firms will face the Consumer Duty, retail users get Financial Ombudsman access, and there'll be client money and market-abuse rules. But crypto remains volatile and high-risk; regulation reduces some risks, it doesn't remove them.
Do the new rules mean crypto is now regulated in the UK? The rules are finalised but the mandatory regime doesn't fully apply until 25 October 2027. During the transition, oversight remains limited to promotions and anti-money-laundering. So crypto is on the path to full regulation, but not fully regulated as an investment yet.
Could the new regime reduce which crypto platforms operate in the UK? Possibly. Firms that can't meet the authorisation standards, or choose not to apply, may exit the UK market. That could narrow available platforms and coins, but the firms that remain should be more accountable to UK consumers and the regulator.
You don't need to do anything today, but do register that the ground is shifting: over the next 18 months, UK crypto moves from lightly overseen to properly regulated, with real consumer protections arriving by late 2027. In the meantime, keep using FCA-registered exchanges, keep good records, and watch which platforms seek authorisation. This isn't legal or financial advice. For the new complaint rights specifically, read our Financial Ombudsman guide.
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