11
November
2025
Bank of England introduces draft regulatory framework for stablecoins
On November 10, 2025, the Bank of England (BoE) published a consultation paper on a regulatory regime for sterling pound-denominated payment stablecoins. The paper confirms a two-pillar model for oversight under which His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) would have the authority to designate systemic stablecoin arrangements (stablecoin issuers, payment systems, and related service providers deemed systemically important under the Banking Act 2009) and the BoE would retain supervisory authority over such arrangements. Under this framework, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) would separately oversees non-systemic stablecoins, conduct standards, and custody requirements.
The proposal outlined in the BoE’s consultation paper would require systemic issuers to hold at least 40% of backing assets as non-interest-bearing deposits at the BoE and up to 60% in short-term U.K. treasury bills, with a transitional option for designated issuers to hold up to 95% in government debt before moving to this mix. The proposal also introduces holding limits of £20,000 per individual and £10 million per business, subject to exemptions for firms with higher operational needs, and it treats these caps as temporary measures to manage transition and funding risks, contemplating central bank liquidity backstops for solvent systemic issuers. The consultation paper is open for comment until February 10, 2026, with a final framework anticipated in the second half of the year.
Th BoE’s proposal reflects, and attempts to formalize, the key themes outlined in BoE Executive Director Sasha Mills’s speech from October 8, 2025, including a systemic stablecoin perimeter, defined reserve structures, potential holding limits, and Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) synchronization and Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS) integration, designed to operate alongside the FCA’s forthcoming rules on stablecoin issuance, custody, and prudential supervision. Taken together, the BoE consultation paper and FCA rulemaking indicate a strong push in the U.K. to bring payment-scale sterling stablecoins within a clear prudential perimeter aligned with standards developed by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and are broadly consistent with emerging regimes under the U.S.’s GENIUS Act, the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) Regulation, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) emerging stablecoin regulatory framework.
Last Updated 11/11/2025.
United Kingdom (Regulatory)
History:
- Nov 10, 2025: The BoE publishes a consultation paper on a regulatory regime for sterling pound-denominated stablecoins, outlining reserve composition, temporary holding limits, and a 2-pillar framework under which HMT designates systemic stablecoin issuers and payment systems, the BoE supervises their prudential soundness and operational resilience, and the FCA regulates non-systemic stablecoins and conduct. Consultation Paper.
- Oct 8, 2025: BoE Executive Director Sasha Mills outlines a forthcoming regime for systemic stablecoins pegged to the British pound, confirming a BoE consultation later in 2025 and coordination with the 2025 stablecoin consultations conducted by the U.K.’s FCA.
- Jul 31, 2025: The consultation period for industry comment on CP25/14 closes.
- May 28, 2025: The FCA releases Consultation Paper CP25/14 proposing a regulatory framework for “qualifying stablecoins” issued in the U.K. CP25/14.