Zumo Teams Up With Zeyro to Fast-Track Crypto Firms Through the UK's Financial Promotions Regime
Updated: Oct 7
UK crypto-as-a-service platform Zumo has partnered with regulatory and financial services firm Zeyro to give cryptoasset businesses a compliant route through the FCA's financial promotions regime, weeks before the regulator's cryptoasset authorisation gateway opens on 30 September.
Under the Financial Services and Markets Act, firms are banned from advertising financial products or services to UK consumers unless those promotions meet FCA standards, regardless of where the firm is based or what technology it uses. The rules have teeth: the FCA is currently pursuing global crypto exchange HTX through the High Court over allegations that it marketed cryptoasset services to UK consumers without authorisation.
What the partnership does
Zeyro supplies the regulatory sign-off that promotions require under Section 21 of FSMA, reviewing and approving communications before they go live, typically within 24 hours of submission, and monitoring approved material on an ongoing basis to confirm it stays accurate and consistent with what was originally signed off. It also keeps a full audit trail of submissions, approvals, feedback and amendments for regulatory record keeping. Zumo brings the customer-facing infrastructure, so the combination gives a crypto firm entering the UK market a single, plug-and-play stack covering both regulatory approval and marketing execution.
Zumo chief executive Nick Jones said compliance with the financial promotions regime "isn't optional", and that building the underlying compliance infrastructure from scratch demands significant investment in legal review, technology and ongoing maintenance. Zeyro co-founder Gareth Malna said the joint offering lets a firm go from a standing start to fully operational in the UK, with compliant infrastructure and a marketing engine in place from day one.
Why this matters
This is a small deal with a large tell. As the FCA's cryptoasset authorisation gateway opens on 30 September, starting an application window that runs until 28 February 2027, compliance infrastructure is becoming its own competitive layer within UK digital asset markets, sitting alongside custody, exchange and tokenisation infrastructure as something specialist providers can sell rather than something every entrant builds in-house. The HTX enforcement action gives the partnership immediate relevance: it shows the FCA is prepared to chase unauthorised marketing through the courts, which raises the cost of treating financial promotions as an afterthought for any firm eyeing the UK, including tokenisation platforms and digital asset managers that fall within scope of the same rules.
Key takeaways
Zumo and Zeyro have launched a joint compliance stack covering FCA financial promotions sign-off and customer-facing marketing execution for crypto firms entering the UK.
Zeyro reviews and approves promotions under Section 21 of FSMA, typically within 24 hours, and maintains an ongoing audit trail.
The partnership lands weeks before the FCA's cryptoasset authorisation gateway opens on 30 September.
The FCA is separately pursuing exchange HTX through the High Court over alleged unauthorised marketing to UK consumers, underlining enforcement risk.
Compliance-as-a-service is emerging as its own commercial layer in UK digital asset infrastructure, alongside custody, exchange and tokenisation platforms.
Sources
How we got here
Cryptoasset marketing was brought inside the UK financial promotions regime in October 2023. Since then, domestic and overseas crypto firms have needed to be FCA authorised, or have their promotions approved by an authorised person, before marketing to UK consumers, and promotions must carry clear risk warnings.
The HTX case shows how the FCA enforces those rules against firms outside the UK. In October 2025 the regulator confirmed it had started civil proceedings in the High Court against HTX, the Seychelles-headquartered exchange founded in 2013 as Huobi and renamed in September 2023. The FCA alleges HTX unlawfully promoted cryptoasset services to UK consumers. The exchange reports more than 45 million registered users across over 160 countries and is not authorised by the FCA.
The next stage is full authorisation. The FCA's application window for the new cryptoasset regime opened on 30 September 2026 through its Connect system and runs until 28 February 2027.
What it means for UK founders
For founders building tokenisation or digital asset products, two separate tracks now run in parallel. Marketing to UK consumers needs either the firm's own FCA authorisation or a Section 21 approver, which is the gap Zeyro is selling into. Carrying on cryptoasset activities will need full FSMA authorisation once the new regime starts.
The FCA has said there is no automatic conversion for firms currently registered under the Money Laundering Regulations. They must apply for authorisation, and firms already authorised under FSMA must apply to vary their permissions to add cryptoasset activities. Firms that do not apply will need to run off their UK cryptoasset business before the regime starts. Applications made after 28 February 2027 will still be accepted, but the FCA will not speed up assessment to make up for late submission. Founders weighing an outsourced approver against their own authorisation may want to take professional advice, since the choice affects cost, timing and who carries regulatory responsibility.
Key facts at a glance
Crypto promotions came within the UK financial promotions regime in October 2023.
The FCA confirmed High Court proceedings against HTX in October 2025.
The FCA cryptoasset application period runs from 30 September 2026 to 28 February 2027.
Firms registered under the Money Laundering Regulations do not convert automatically and must apply for FSMA authorisation.
Applications go through the FCA's Connect system, and pre-application meetings are optional and free.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
What is the Zumo and Zeyro partnership?
UK crypto-as-a-service platform Zumo has partnered with regulatory and financial services firm Zeyro to give cryptoasset businesses a compliant route through the FCA's financial promotions regime. Zeyro provides the regulatory sign-off and Zumo provides the customer-facing infrastructure.
How quickly does Zeyro approve crypto financial promotions?
Zeyro reviews and approves promotions under Section 21 of FSMA typically within 24 hours of submission. It also monitors approved material on an ongoing basis and keeps a full audit trail for regulatory record keeping.
When does the FCA's cryptoasset authorisation gateway open?
The FCA's cryptoasset authorisation gateway opened on 30 September 2026. It is an application window that runs until 28 February 2027, so firms apply for authorisation during this period rather than coming under supervision on that date.
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