Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Bitcoin Is Here To Stay Even After The U.K.'s New Guidance

The U.K's regulator published a more friendly report on crypto assets and there isn't any thing which is sticking like a sore thumb.

There is nothing new about regulators trying to beat the crypto king, Bitcoin. We have seen this over and over from pretty much all major jurisdictions. Yesterday, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which oversees the banking and finance industry, released its guidance on cryptocurrencies and it didn’t ban the selling of crypto assets such as Bitcoin, Ether and Ripple’s XRP. The FCA previously said “We will shortly publish a CP on a potential ban on the sale to retail clients of derivatives and certain transferable securities that reference crypto assets”.

According to the report released yesterday, the FCA only came as far as to say that assets like Bitcoin have “no intrinsic value”. Vikram Nagrani, Partner at Hassan International Law Firm in Gibraltar, said “it is not unsurprising that the FCA should have commented that “Consumers should be cautious when investing in such crypto assets and should ensure they understand and compare the risks involved with assets that have no intrinsic value”. Any regulator will naturally want to issue such a warning to consumers, and it should not necessarily be regarded as an unhelpful comment”.

Intrinsic value generally describes the calculated value of an asset, investment or a company and in the latter case it is based on fundamentals to try and ascertain subjectively the value of a company and its current and future cash flows. There is no generally agreed standard on how to value crypto assets, because this is still a relatively new asset class where price is primarily determined by demand and supply, and price is not necessarily a reflection of value.

Philip Vasquez, Associate of TSN Law in Gibraltar, remarked that “the publication is a positive step because the FCA has acknowledged that Exchange Tokens typically would fall outside of the remit of regulated token activity. this is particularly positive given that exchange tokens arguably are among the few digital assets with real utility value”.

The key take-away is that the FCA hasn’t banned the buying and selling of crypto assets . In fact, if you read the report, one can clearly say that the language used in the FCA's paper is highly crypto friendly as it has used very familiar words such as air drops.

Remember, the FCA isn’t going to make a sudden U-turn on its stance. It isn’t JP Morgan Chase. Just like a huge ship that takes time to change its direction, I believe that the FCA’s position isn’t that different either. Remember, for regulators, cryptos were nothing more than a mean of money laundering, and now, the same product is the hottest topic on the floors of the Federal Reserve and the European Central bank. In other words, Bitcoin has made tremendous progress. Starting from a basement and used to buy a pizza, now one can buy anything from a cup of coffee to a luxury apartment in Dubai or Switzerland.

Remember, brands have value and Bitcoin is here to disrupt the banking system and this change isn’t going to come overnight. A spokesperson for the CFD (Contract of Future Derivatives) Trading & Compliance Forum, a London-based Think Tank, commented: "The latest advancements set forth by the FCA on the emerging cryptocurrency space are a clear indication that the regulators are keen to create an eco-system that supports innovation. The content has evolved from previous notifications and supports the overall ethos.” He continued by saying “guidance under CP 19/3 appeases the crypto enthusiast community with jargon and terminology that highlights the FCA's mandate to position itself as the dominant regulatory authority for next generation products and services. However, a deep dive of the paper signifies that there is still ample work required, in terms of clarifications and new legislation before the business environment is ripe. Overall it is a definite step in the right direction, and fundamentally gives innovators hope and confidence”.

To conclude, I believe that the recent regulatory guidance by the FCA is a positive step and it is only a matter of time before we see a more clear and friendly regulation on crypto assets.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Syria Holds First Elections Since Fall of Assad
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
×