UK's FCA Appoints Binu Paul to Lead Its Digital-Assets Department

Paul previously worked as the fintech lead at New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority.

AccessTimeIconOct 14, 2022 at 2:12 p.m. UTC
Updated Oct 14, 2022 at 4:28 p.m. UTC
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The Financial Conduct Authority, which is the U.K.'s main financial regulator, has appointed Binu Paul as its new head of digital assets.

Paul was previously the fintech specialist lead at New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority. The FCA confirmed to CoinDesk that Paul has replaced its digital-asset department's interim head Victoria McLoughlin who had been in the position since April according to her LinkedIn page, and he has already started the role. The news was first reported by the Block.

The department head will lead the FCA’s regulatory activities into crypto firms that may be involved in “scams and frauds," a job posting for the role said in March.

Although the regulator had largely been critical of crypto, it's looking to have a more balanced approach to support the government's plans to turn the country into a crypto innovation hub, a representative for the FCA said in April.

The FCA became the U.K.'s authority for anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism measures at the start of 2020. Crypto firms have to register with the FCA if they want to serve U.K. customers. So far, 39 firms have registered with the regulator.

The FCA stands to get more powers to regulate crypto under the country's existing payments rules if the Financial Services and Markets bill passes, but with Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng's firing on Friday, the fate of the bill is up in the air.

UPDATE (Oct. 14, 14:37 UTC): Adds FCA comment on the fact that Binu Paul has already commenced his role as its digital assets head.

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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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