Ripple has applied for registration as a cryptocurrency company with the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) following its partial victory against the US SEC.
Payment Protocol Ripple recently applied for registration as a cryptocurrency company with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), a company spokesperson tells Cointelegraph. The company is also seeking a payments license in Ireland as part of its major investment in the region.
More cryptocurrency companies are looking to the UK for regulatory clarity and a favorable business environment amid a wave of enforcement actions by the SEC in the US.
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (A16z) recently announced its first new non-US office in London, following “months of constructive discussions” with policymakers and the FCA, citing a “predictable business environment” as one of the main reasons for expanding abroad.
Several pieces of legislation have been introduced in the British Parliament with the aim of establishing a crypto-regulated environment in the UK. In June, a bill subjecting cryptocurrencies to the same rules applied to traditional assets was enacted after receiving royal assent from King Charles. The new law gives the Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Bank of England and the Payment Systems Regulator the authority to introduce and enforce regulations for crypto companies.
In another recent development, upper house lawmakers discussed a bill that seeks to expand authorities’ ability to target cryptocurrencies used for illicit purposes. The bill includes provisions for authorities to have greater flexibility in the confiscation and recovery of crypto assets.