Cryptoasset approvals surge as FCA softens stance Crypto The approval rate for cryptoasset firm registrations has surged, City AM can reveal, in signs the UK’s financial watchdog is softening its stance towards the crypto industry. As many as 13 cryptoasset firm registrations were approved by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the year to April 2026, a more than doubling compared to 2024, [...]
Bank of England’s Breeden: Digital gilt will bring down borrowing costs Economics The Bank of England’s plans to help launch a digital gilt will make Britain’s sovereign debt more appealing to a wider pool of investors and help bring down government borrowing costs, its deputy governor has said. Speaking to City AM at the City Week conference, Sarah Breeden hailed the central bank’s efforts to help the [...]
What does new City minister Rachel Blake have in store for the Square Mile? Politics The Westminster drama has hit the City in more ways than one. After Wes Streeting’s resignation triggered a mini-reshuffle, Felix Armstrong and Samuel Norman take a look at what the new City minister might have in store. In just under two years, the City has its fourth minister. Tulip Siddiq resigned in January 2025 after [...]
Farage to face probe on £5m gift from Harborne May 13, 2026 Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is set to be investigated by the parliamentary standards committee after he received a £5m donation from Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before being elected as an MP. Farage will be probed on whether he broke a code of conduct for MPs on failing to declare the large gift [...]
Coinbase to slash 14 per cent of workforce amid AI impact and market volatility May 5, 2026 Crypto exchange Coinbase is planning to cut 14 per cent of its workforce just two days head of its next earnings report, citing a need to manage costs amid ongoing market volatility and advances in AI. Chief executive Brian Armstrong said on Tuesday that AI was speeding up certain processes meaning fewer employees were required [...]
Eight London sites raided in peer-to-peer crypto trading bust April 22, 2026 The City watchdogs, working with HMRC and the Regional Organised Crime Unit, have carried out the first crackdown on illegal crypto trading across multiple London locations. The enforcement targeted eight premises in London suspected of illegal peer-to-peer crypto trading by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The traders were issued cease-and-desist letters at each site, notifying [...]
FCA crypto U-turn – everything retail investors need to know April 22, 2026 After banning crypto Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs) for retail customers in January 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reversed its position in October 2025, meaning retail investors can once again purchase exchange-listed crypto instruments, such as ETNs. According to FCA research, conducted in conjunction with YouGov, 91 per cent of UK consumers are aware of cryptoassets. [...]
Nigel Farage’s crypto punt is unlikely to end well April 22, 2026 Nakamoto, a Bitcoin treasury company that promised a similar vision to Farage’s Stack BTC, is a cautionary tale for investors, says Tim Focas Nigel Farage’s £275,000 stake in Stack BTC, a London listed Bitcoin treasury company chaired by Kwasi Kwarteng, certainly guarantees headlines, but unfortunately, it also attracts copycat investors. Through his ironically named Thorn [...]
Chelsea score £10m commercial boost with major sponsorship renewal April 16, 2026 Chelsea FC have extended their £10m-a-year training kit sponsorship deal with crypto platform BingX into a fourth season. The agreement will see the Singapore-headquartered firm remain on the front of the shirts worn by the men’s team in training and for pre-match warm-ups. An early renewal is a boost to Chelsea’s commercial department, which has [...]
Trump-linked crypto firm Nexo in Fifa World Cup deal with Messi’s Argentina April 14, 2026 Donald Trump-linked crypto firm Nexo has announced a sponsorship deal with Lionel Messi’s Argentina ahead of this summer’s Fifa World Cup. The digital wealth platform will be the Argentine Football Association’s official digital asset partner when they attempt to defend their title at the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The deal bolsters [...]