15
December
2025
HMT confirms 2027 start for proposed digital asset regulatory regime under the FCMA
On December 15, 2025, His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) confirmed the U.K. will implement a comprehensive digital asset regulatory regime in 2027 and emphasized that bringing digital assets within the perimeter of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) remains a central policy objective. HMT officials indicated that the April 2025 draft statutory instrument amending the FSMA (Order 2001) has undergone only minor revision and would provide the primary legal mechanism for bringing specified digital asset activities within the FSMA framework.
Under the proposed regime, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) would develop and enforce rules governing digital asset trading, custody, issuance, and disclosure. The framework would operate alongside the U.K.’s parallel work on stablecoin regulation and existing supervisory arrangements involving the Bank of England. The HMT emphasized this legislation was “a crucial step in securing the U.K.’s position as a world leading financial centre in the digital age.”
Last Updated 12/15/2025.
United Kingdom (Regulatory)
History:
- Dec 15, 2025: His Majesty’s Treasury, through Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, confirms that the United Kingdom will implement a digital asset regulatory regime in 2027.
- Apr 29, 2025: His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) publishes a draft statutory instrument and policy note (in Order 2001) proposing amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) to bring specified digital asset activities within the Act’s regulatory perimeter. Draft SI; Policy Note.