FCA's perimeter from October 2027. The seven regulated activities covered include issuing qualifying stablecoins in the UK, safeguarding qualifying cryptoassets, operating a qualifying cryptoasset trading platform, dealing in qualifying cryptoassets as principal or agent, arranging deals in qualifying cry

For UK founders and investors watching the tokenisation of equity markets, one of the clearest signals yet that this space is being given a real regulatory foundation arrived from Washington on 18 May 2026. Bloomberg Law reported that the US Securities and Exchange Commission, under Chair Paul Atkin

On 15 May 2026, the FCA and Bank of England published something the market has been waiting for. Not a pilot. Not a sandbox update. A shared vision — and a roadmap.

18 May 2026 | Category: FOUNDER ACCESS & CAPITAL REFORM

18 May 2026 | Category: LAW, REGULATION, POLICY

For those watching institutional asset management move onchain, the partnership announced on 12 May 2026 between Payward and Franklin Templeton carries weight that goes beyond a standard industry announcement. This is a $1.6 trillion global asset manager with a ten-year head start in tokenised finan

A leading global law firm has laid out the structural design problems facing tokenised private fund interests. The UK is now solving the same problems, faster, with a regulator that has just published the rules.

On 30 April 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority finalised its rules for tokenising UK authorised funds. The rules took effect immediately. The UK now has one of the clearest regulatory frameworks for tokenised funds anywhere in the world and the clock is now ticking. Most regulatory milestones arrive with consultation papers and long phase-in periods. PS26/7 did not. On 30 April 2026, the FCA published its policy statement on fund tokenisation and the rules entered force th

Jamie Marshall at CMS makes the case that tokenised funds are a historic opportunity for Scotland and the UK. The argument deserves a wider hearing, and the timing is tighter than most realise.

For founders and investors watching the UK's tokenisation landscape, Wednesday's State Opening of Parliament deserves close attention. The 2026 King's Speech, scheduled for 13 May, is set to mark the beginning of the most ambitious digital finance legislative programme since the Financial Services a

When the FCA launched the PISCES sandbox framework in June 2025, most commentary treated it as an interesting experiment. Less than a year later, the UK has four approved private company trading platforms, the first trades have been completed, and one operator has launched without charging fees or r

The US administration has attached a specific deadline to its push for digital asset market structure legislation. Patrick Witt, executive director of the President's Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, stated on 6 May 2026 that the White House is targeting July 4 for Senate passage of the Digit

For UK founders and investors watching tokenised equity markets develop, one recurring structural objection has been governance: if you hold tokenised shares, can you actually vote? The answer, until recently, has been sometimes. As of this week, Broadridge Financial Solutions has moved the industry

The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation settles more than $3.7 quadrillion in transactions annually and custodies over $114 trillion in assets. For anyone still treating tokenised finance as a niche experiment, the DTCC's announcement of a formal tokenisation service and accompanying industry

One of the most persistent criticisms of tokenised equity has always been the governance gap: you hold the token, but someone else holds the shareholder rights. On 28 April 2026, that changed. Ondo Finance and Broadridge Financial Solutions announced a partnership that enables holders of over 250 tokenised stocks and ETFs on Ondo's Global Markets platform to participate in proxy voting — and access regulatory filings — for the first time. It is the first time governance ri

Sometime in the next two months, a tokenisation platform will ring the opening bell on NASDAQ for the first time. Securitize Corp — the rebranded entity that will emerge from the merger of Securitize, Inc. with Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT) — is expected to close its business combination in the first half of 2026, trading under the ticker "SECZ."

A milestone that seemed ambitious at the start of 2025 has been quietly crossed: the total value of tokenised equities on public blockchains has surpassed $1 billion. The figure represents a year-on-year growth of approximately 2,878% — from just $32 million twelve months ago — and is accelerating. For a sector that spent years in proof-of-concept mode, the numbers are finally moving in a direction that demands attention from founders, investors, and regulators alike.

For years, the stablecoin market has been a dollar story. Of the $305 billion in stablecoins in circulation as of January 2026, over 99% are denominated in US dollars. That asymmetry is not just a currency statistic — it is a structural risk for European financial markets, a competitive disadvantage for EU-based institutions, and a potential sovereignty problem for European regulators. A consortium of twelve of Europe's largest banks just decided to do something about it

On 21 April 2026, Atkins told an industry audience that the SEC was "on the cusp" of releasing a framework that would allow tokenised securities to trade directly on blockchain networks for the first time under formal regulatory cover. For an industry that has operated in legal grey areas for years, that statement represents a significant shift in the regulatory weather.

HM Treasury unveiled a comprehensive payment services regulatory integration plan on 21 April 2026 — during UK Fintech Week — designed to bring stablecoins, tokenised bank deposits, and conventional electronic payments under one coherent legal roof. The package proposes new legislation to reduce administrative burdens for firms seeking to provide stablecoin payment services, whilst expanding the FCA's regulatory powers over Open Banking developments.