Expanding Crypto Portfolio
Yet, PayPal’s decision to register with the FCA is not a move copied by numerous crypto firms, which have decided to exit the U.K. market. Among the big brands leaving the country is Binance, which decided to leave the UK because of compliance-related issues with the new FCA’s crypto promotion regime. PayPal is the fourth company to acquire an FCA crypto license, and the lack of competition can help the payment brand to solidify its position in the U.K.
It is worth mentioning that PayPal paused its crypto sales starting on October 1st of this year for a period of at least three months in an attempt to realign its practices and be compliant with the new regulations.
The U.K. situation is not affecting PayPal’s international operations in the crypto fintech sector. In August, the payment provider expanded its portfolio by launching PayPal USD, a dollar-backed stablecoin on Ethereum.
U.K.’s Regulatory Initiative
Since October 8, 2023, companies desiring to advertise crypto assets in the U.K. to consumers must be registered by the FCA. The regulatory agency has reported that 221 alerts have been issued in the first two weeks of October.
The U.K. Treasury published a proposal on October 31 for crypto regulation, intending to integrate crypto activities into the financial services regulation. This would empower the Financial Conduct Authority to license and regulate crypto-related companies willing to do business in the country.
The push for tighter regulation of the developing blockchain industry forced the U.K. parliament to pass a bill enabling law enforcement agencies to confiscate cryptocurrency assets used to facilitate criminal activities such as fraud, money laundering, and ransomware attacks.