The UK plans to give the Bank of England a new statutory objective to support innovation in stablecoins and other forms of digital currency, while maintaining financial stability as a primary responsibility. This objective will be incorporated through amendments to the Financial Services and Markets Bill, requiring the central bank to report annually to Parliament on its progress in payment systems and digital currency innovation. Lucy Rigby, the UK’s Economic Secretary to the Treasury, stated that this objective will support the central bank in continuing to promote payment and digital financial innovation, ensuring that the UK maintains its leading position in global financial services.

The UK is committed to establishing a unified regulatory framework covering both traditional and tokenized payments. The Bank of England abandoned its previously proposed temporary cap on the holdings of stablecoins by individuals and businesses in June this year, instead setting a £40 billion (approximately $54 billion) issuance cap for each systemic stablecoin; issuers can allocate up to 70% of their reserve assets to UK short-term government bonds, with the remainder held at the central bank. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has also finalized rules for crypto firms and stablecoin issuers, including simplified capital requirements, allowing businesses to apply for authorization starting September 30, with the new rules taking effect on October 25, 2027.

According to DeFiLlama data, the current stablecoin market size is approximately $303 billion, up from about $200 billion at the beginning of last year, with most being dollar-pegged stablecoins. Visa data shows that the trading volume of retail-level stablecoins below $250 has increased from $500 million in 2019 to nearly $70 billion last year, reflecting the growth in consumer usage.