According to ChainCatcher, as reported by Jin10 and referenced by the Financial Times, regulatory reforms have made it easier for UK retail investors to access cryptocurrencies, which industry insiders hail as a "key moment" for the market. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority decided last week to lift the ban on offering cryptocurrency exchange-traded products to retail investors, a decision that has even been compared to the UK's financial Big Bang reforms of the 1980s.
Russell Barlow, CEO of 21Shares, the issuer of cryptocurrency exchange-traded products, said: "This is significant; in some ways, it can be seen as the first step in a major shift in the UK financial market towards broader acceptance and adoption of digital assets." Dovile Silenskyte, Head of Digital Asset Research at WisdomTree, stated that the end of the UK retail ban "marks a key moment for the broader integration of digital assets into the financial system."