UK Financial Institutions: Stablecoin Regulation Positioning and Payment Integration to Become Core Focus of UK Cryptocurrency Regulation in 2026

BlockBeats News, December 29th. According to Crowdfund Insider, a UK financial institution recently reviewed the 2025 UK crypto regulatory progress and looked ahead to the 2026 key policy directions. UK Finance pointed out that in the past year, the UK has had intensive discussions on topics such as stablecoins, Crypto Asset Trading Platforms (CATPs), and market manipulation prevention, with regulatory focus gradually shifting from "non-collateralized crypto assets" to stablecoins backed by real-world assets.

UK Finance stated that regulatory authorities are increasingly viewing stablecoins as tools with payment and monetary attributes, rather than purely as investment-type crypto assets. This classification will directly impact redemption timelines, KYC requirements, and issuer compliance costs. At the same time, it warned that if the regulatory burden for GBP stablecoins is higher than that for non-GBP stablecoins issued overseas, it may prompt issuers to move abroad, weakening the UK's control over stablecoins at the intersection of stablecoins and monetary policy.

Furthermore, UK Finance pointed out that the core challenge in 2026 lies in striking a balance between encouraging innovation, protecting consumers, and maintaining financial system resilience, including systemic stablecoin redemption rules, multi-currency and multi-issuer structural design, and the integration of stablecoins into the traditional payment rails in payment scenarios. With the UK Financial Conduct Authority launching a non-systemic stablecoin regulatory sandbox, the UK is entering the policy implementation phase, and the ability of the final regulatory framework to balance innovation and competitiveness will determine whether London can continue to maintain its status as an international financial center.