The UK's commitment to advancing digital finance regulation has been demonstrated by the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) approval of ClearToken, a firm specializing in regulated financial market infrastructure.
This decision allows ClearToken to launch CT Settle, a Delivery versus Payment (DvP) settlement platform for transactions involving stablecoins, cryptocurrencies, and regular currencies.
- Significance: This move marks a crucial step in creating an advanced, regulated system for trading, clearing, and settling digital assets in the UK.
- Regulatory Milestone: ClearToken is the 57th company to be approved by the FCA since the UK's Cryptoasset Register began in January 2020.
- Institutional Adoption: CT Settle aims to remove obstacles for regulated financial institutions adopting digital assets, primarily by addressing concerns like counterparty risk, market efficiency, and liquidity, thus bringing digital asset settlement in line with traditional financial systems.
- Catalyst for Growth: ClearToken's Chair, Niki Beattie, believes this authorization will catalyze the widespread adoption of digital assets.
This approval aligns with the broader UK government goal of integrating digital assets into mainstream finance. Recent related actions include:
- The Bank of England seeking feedback on new stablecoin rules, with Governor Andrew Bailey showing a more pragmatic approach to the potential risks of stablecoins.
- HM Treasury publishing a draft policy paper in April to regulate crypto assets, outlining specific definitions and regulatory adherence for activities like issuance, custody, and trading.
- Making the market for crypto exchange-traded notes (ETNs) accessible to everyday investors.
This push for regulation comes amidst concerns that the UK is lagging behind other countries, such as the US with its GENIUS Act, in adopting stablecoins.
November 2025, Cryptoniteuae