🇬🇧 London cracks crypto wide open – and the world’s watching
It’s finally happening. After four years behind frosted glass, UK retail investors can now buy crypto ETPs on the LSE. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETP (IB1T) hit the board alongside launches from 21Shares, WisdomTree, and Bitwise – and the fee war started on day one.
What’s on the shelf (highlights)
- BlackRock IB1T: 0.15% TER until 1 Jan 2026, then 0.25%. Pure bitcoin exposure, no keys, no wallets. ETF Stream
- 21Shares: Four flagship ETNs incl. BTC & ETH staking; core products priced at 0.10%. FundsTech+1
- WisdomTree: Opens Physical Bitcoin & Ethereum to UK retail for the first time. Financial IT+1
- Bitwise: Lists four ETPs; cuts Core BTC ETP fees to 0.05% for six months. Yahoo Finance+1
Why now? The FCA has formally lifted the retail ban on crypto ETNs. It’s a competitive response to surging European demand – and it hands London a seat back at the digital-assets table. CoinDesk
🇺🇸 Meanwhile in Washington…
The Federal Reserve’s Payments Innovation Conference (Tue 21 Oct) put crypto centre-stage – from stablecoins and tokenisation to AI in payments – with speakers spanning Chainlink, Fireblocks, BNY, Circle/Coinbase and more. Gov. Christopher Waller floated a “skinny master-account” concept that could ease access for compliant crypto payment firms. Federal Reserve+2Federal Reserve+2
Macro watch: Markets broadly expect a 25 bps FOMC cut on 28-29 Oct, a tailwind for risk assets if confirmed. Kiplinger+1
🌏 Global policy pivots
- Japan is weighing rules to let banks (and their securities arms) trade/hold crypto – a potential institutional floodgate. Reuters+1
- South Korea plans to ban interest on stablecoins in its next-phase crypto framework (timing: by end-2025). crypto.news
📈 Market pulse (today)
- Bitcoin trades around $110k; Ethereum hovers near $3.85k after recent ETF-driven chop.
📈 Market pulse (today)
-
Bitcoin trades around $110k; Ethereum hovers near $3.85k after recent ETF-driven chop.
- Chainlink (LINK): Whale outflows from Binance stoke a $25 upside narrative. crypto.news
- Solana (SOL): Eyeing a reclaim of $200 on rising DEX activity, but momentum is choppy. Coinpaper
- Flows & supply: Long-term BTC holders have been selling into strength, even as institutional demand stays firm. insights.glassnode.com
🧭 Deals, security & adoption
- Coinbase → Echo (≈$375m): folds on-chain fundraising into the Coinbase suite. Coinbase+1
- Trezor Safe 7: pitches the first “quantum-ready” hardware wallet with a transparent secure element (debate ongoing). crypto.news+1
- HTX: launches a $100m USDT airdrop after the recent wipeout to support affected traders. crypto.news
- NFTs: Weekly sales up ~6% to $161.7m; Pudgy Penguins +165% w/w. crypto.news
TL;DR
London just re-entered the chat – with ultra-low-fee ETPs and heavyweight brands. The Fed’s new tone, Japan’s opening gambit, and Korea’s guardrails point to maturing rails rather than hype cycles. Position sizing, venue selection, and compliance hygiene matter more than ever.
#crypto #bitcoin #ethereum #ETPs #LSE #UKfinance #BoE #FCA #stablecoins #DeFi #tokenization #AI #payments #riskmanagement #Web3 #institutions
