FCA starts taking crypto applications, with a 28 February 2027 deadline
Victoria Shinder1 min readThe UK Financial Conduct Authority opened its authorisation gateway for crypto firms on 30 September. It is the first time UK crypto businesses fall fully within the regulator's remit, with standards on consumer protection, safeguarding of customer assets, market integrity and financial resilience.
The dates are set. The deadline for applications is 28 February 2027 for any firm that wants to keep serving UK customers; the regime itself starts on 25 October 2027. The FCA says it expects to decide applications submitted in that period before the regime starts, and existing firms that apply during the window can continue providing cryptoasset services, including taking on new business, if a decision has not been made by then.
Authorisation is not automatic, the regulator stresses. Firms must demonstrate that they meet its requirements, and those that cannot will not be authorised and will not be able to continue offering regulated cryptoasset services in the UK. The FCA published its final crypto rules and guidance in June 2026, and offers pre-application meetings and recorded webinars to help firms prepare. "Firms can now apply for authorisation and start preparing for regulation," said Dominic Cashman, the FCA's director of authorisation.
Why it matters
The window gives firms five months to apply and the regulator almost eight more to decide. The practical line is 28 February: a firm that applies in time keeps trading while it waits, one that does not faces the start date with no permission, which makes the deadline a market-exit date for anyone who cannot meet the standards.