The clock is running on the new UK cryptoasset regime — use LawBEAM’s Perimeter Scanner to check where you stand.
UK Cryptoasset Perimeter Scanner
Regime status. The UK's new cryptoasset regime was made in February 2026 and takes full effect on 25 October 2027. The FCA published its final rulebook on 30 June 2026; its perimeter guidance remains in draft. The authorisation application window is scheduled to run from 30 September 2026 to 28 February 2027. This scanner gives a preliminary, indicative view only: it is not legal advice and no decision should be taken on it without a formal perimeter analysis.
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1. Which of these does your business do, or plan to do? (select all that apply)
2. Where are your customers?
3. Do you serve individual consumers in the UK?
4. Is this a commercial operation (fees, spreads, or other revenue)?
5. Where is the business operated from?
6. Current FCA status?
Please answer every question (2–6) to see the preliminary view.
Likely in scope: act now. On your answers, your business is likely to be carrying on one or more activities that will require FCA authorisation under the new UK cryptoasset regime.
Formal analysis needed. Your answers put you close to the regulatory perimeter; the outcome turns on the specific details and circumstances of your activities — further information is required.
Possibly outside scope, subject to verification. On your answers the new regime may not apply to you, but this is a preliminary indication only and should be confirmed before you rely on it.
Activities indicated by your answers
- Stablecoin issuance
- Safeguarding of cryptoassets
- Operating a cryptoasset trading platform
- Dealing in cryptoassets
- Arranging deals in cryptoassets
- Cryptoasset staking
Points you should know
- You selected technology-only activity. The line between providing technology and carrying on a regulated activity is fact-sensitive: how the product is operated, marketed and monetised can change the answer. A short formal check is recommended before relying on this.
- You indicated the operation is non-commercial. A specific business test applies to cryptoasset activities under the new regime and it is narrower than the general test; whether you fall outside it needs formal analysis.
- You selected issuing your own cryptoasset. Issuing a cryptoasset other than a stablecoin is not, by itself, a regulated activity under the new regime — but the way a token is sold, marketed and listed usually is: selling your own token can amount to dealing, launch arrangements can amount to arranging, admission to a UK trading platform triggers disclosure and market-abuse requirements, and marketing to UK persons is already restricted under the financial promotions regime. Where a launch sits needs formal analysis.
- You selected decentralised finance. The new regime catches DeFi where there is an identifiable person carrying on the activity by way of business; genuinely decentralised activity, with no such person, falls outside it. Where a model sits on that line is fact-sensitive — building the protocol, operating a front-end, holding or controlling keys, and taking revenue from user activity are each weighed on their own facts — and the FCA has said it will assess scope case by case and consult on dedicated DeFi guidance later in 2026. This is exactly the kind of question that turns on your specific facts; it needs formal analysis.
- Operating from outside the UK does not, by itself, take you outside the new regime where UK consumers are served. The FCA has confirmed that overseas firms serving UK consumers are within scope of the new framework. This is one of the most common and most expensive misunderstandings in the market.
- Your existing Money Laundering Regulations registration does not convert automatically into authorisation under the new regime. If you are in scope, a full application inside the window will be required.
- Existing FCA permissions do not cover the new cryptoasset activities. A variation or new application is likely to be needed if you are in scope.
The clock
- The application window is scheduled to open on 30 September 2026 and close on 28 February 2027.
- The regime takes full effect on 25 October 2027. Carrying on a regulated activity without authorisation after that date is a criminal offence.
- Preparing a credible application typically takes months, not weeks. Firms that begin scoping now will file early in the window; firms that wait will queue behind them.
Next step. A LawBEAM fixed-fee UK Perimeter Analysis gives you a formal, verified answer: which activities you are carrying on, whether you need authorisation, and exactly what to do before the application window. Delivered within 7 days of instruction. Write to hello@lawbeam.io with the word SCANNER for priority scheduling.