United Kingdom to Introduce Legislation on Stablecoins, Crypto Staking
Following Donald Trump’s election, the United States is expected to compete as a preferred destination for cryptocurrency firms. The British government intends to enact legislation to regulate stablecoins and cryptocurrency staking. This decision comes as President-elect Donald Trump outlines his aspirations to make the United States a worldwide crypto hub, posing new challenges for the UK to retain and attract digital asset enterprises.
Stablecoin and Staking Legislation
According to Bloomberg, the UK Treasury is draughting two stablecoin-focused legislative proposals, as well as an exception requested by crypto providers to keep staking services apart from existing banking rules.
The stablecoin laws will enable the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to communicate with the sector on rulemaking. Staking, on the other hand, will be reclassified in order to avoid being treated as a collective investment vehicle, which would subject it to more scrutiny.
The timing of these new legislation corresponds to Donald Trump’s recent election victory, which has increased confidence in the American crypto sector.
Trump has made big claims to transform the United States into the world’s main cryptocurrency hub, promising to fire SEC Chair Gary Gensler, establish a Bitcoin reserve, and make the United States the primary destination for Bitcoin mining. His administration is apparently already working with industry leaders to develop these new policies.
With the United States moving rapidly on cryptocurrency regulation, British policymakers are concerned that entrepreneurs in the sector would seek clearer and more favorable regulatory regimes in other jurisdictions.
Laura Navaratnam, UK policy lead at the Crypto Council for Innovation, expressed concern about the UK’s potential to gain a second-mover edge. However, mobilization is crucial.
Implementation Roadmap and Delays
Bloomberg reports that the FCA is set to provide a roadmap for its approach to stablecoin regulation early next year. The authority’s strategy would allegedly include an initial consultation on stablecoins, followed by a staged approach to other aspects of the crypto sector.
The government will also deliver an update on progress in the digital securities sandbox, which is a real-time blockchain testing environment run by the FCA and the Bank of England.
Stablecoin regulation was planned to be implemented during former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s administration over the summer as part of Sunak’s strategy to encourage digital asset enterprises to the country. However, they were postponed following a general election in which Labour’s Keir Starmer won control.
Last year, the UK Treasury said that it would issue guidelines on stablecoins and other specific aspects of cryptocurrencies in 2024. This comes after a government consultation on fiat-backed digital assets and the passage of the Financial Services and Markets Act in June 2023.
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