Luno to Halt Some UK Clients From Investing in Crypto as Regulation Looms

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority crypto promotion rules will be effective by October 8.

AccessTimeIconSep 11, 2023 at 6:39 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 11, 2023 at 7:09 p.m. UTC
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Crypto exchange Luno plans to stop some U.K. clients from investing in crypto, Nick Taylor, head of public policy at the company, told CoinDesk in a statement.

These changes will come into effect by Oct. 6, two days before the U.K.’s new crypto promotion rules are set to come into force. CoinDesk and Luno are both subsidiaries of Digital Currency Group.

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  • “The FCA has implemented new rules for crypto firms. As a result, all compliant crypto firms with U.K. customers are making a number of changes to their platforms in order to comply with the new regulations,” Taylor said. “For Luno, this includes pausing the ability to invest through the platform for some customers for the time being.”

    An email shown to CoinDesk from a Luno client said that they would be unable to buy or trade crypto as of Oct. 6.

    The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s new promotion rules will treat crypto like “restricted mass market investments” and require any advertisements or promotions to contain clear warnings and ban incentives. Though the new rules were set to take effect on Oct. 8, firms can now apply for an extra three months to apply the rules.

    Luno is not the only one pausing parts of its U.K. business temporarily. In response to these rules, PayPal also said it would halt crypto purchases in October till 2024.

    Affected Luno customers can still sell and withdraw their funds, Taylor added. “We are taking a phased approach to reintroducing investment opportunities to our customers,” he said.

    Edited by Aoyon Ashraf.

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    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Camomile Shumba

    Camomile Shumba is a CoinDesk regulatory reporter based in the UK. She previously worked as an intern for Business Insider and Bloomberg News. She does not currently hold value in any digital currencies or projects.


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