This on-demand webinar provides a practical roadmap for firms preparing for UK cryptoasset authorisation under the FCA's incoming regime. Led by fscom's Capital Markets team, the session covers the regulatory timeline from now through the September 2026 gateway opening, explains which cryptoasset activities require authorisation or variation of permissions, and details the readiness workstreams firms should prioritise. Key topics include perimeter analysis and permissions mapping, governance and SM&CR requirements, financial crime and market abuse controls, Consumer Duty and conduct obligations, operational resilience considerations including custody and wind-down planning, and how to build a robust, evidence-backed application that meets FCA threshold conditions.

The webinar helps firms understand FCA expectations by explaining the shift from MLR registration to full FSMA authorisation - a whole-firm review covering governance, prudential requirements, conduct rules, and custody obligations. The session addresses common application weaknesses identified by the FCA, including vague perimeter analysis, off-the-shelf policies that do not reflect operating reality, unclear senior manager accountability, untested controls with weak management information, and unfunded wind-down plans. fscom's experts explain what "ready, willing and organised" means in practice, provide a structured seven-workstream readiness plan, and share practical guidance on building an application pack with the evidence, governance, and tested controls the FCA expects to see at the point of submission.

This webinar is specifically designed for compliance, legal and risk professionals at firms currently undertaking, or considering, cryptoasset-related activities in the UK. This includes firms operating qualifying cryptoasset trading platforms, dealing as principal or agent, arranging transactions, safeguarding client cryptoassets, issuing qualifying stablecoins, or arranging staking services. The session is also relevant for firms already registered under the Money Laundering Regulations or authorised for payments or e-money who will need to apply afresh under FSMA. The application gateway opens 30 September 2026 and closes 28 February 2027 - firms that apply within the window can continue trading until their application is determined, but missing the deadline means in-scope activity must stop by 25 October 2027.

The webinar includes detailed guidance on the seven core readiness workstreams: perimeter analysis (activities, entities, territory), permissions mapping (application scope and structure), governance and SM&CR (board capability, senior manager accountability, fit and proper assessments), financial crime and market abuse (uplift to authorisation standard including blockchain analytics, transaction monitoring, and surveillance obligations), conduct requirements (Consumer Duty, client classification, appropriateness, best execution, and personal account dealing), operational resilience (custody and CASS-style rules, wallet structures, segregation, outsourcing, and wind-down planning), and application evidence (business plan, financial projections, and management information). The session concludes with a 90-day preparation plan and a final checklist covering perimeter confirmation, permissions mapping, control testing, board engagement, and application drafting.

fscom provides end-to-end support for firms preparing for cryptoasset authorisation, including readiness and gap assessments against the final rules and threshold conditions, application build services (regulatory business plan, policies, financial projections, and full evidence pack), financial crime and market abuse framework uplift (analytics calibration and independent audit), prudential and wind-down planning (COREPRU and CRYPTOPRU assessments, wind-down planning, and financial projections), Pre-Application Stage Supervisory (PASS) discussions and submission support, and ongoing post-authorisation support including outsourced compliance and internal audit. Contact us at info@fscom.co or call +44 (0) 28 9042 5451 to discuss how we can support your authorisation journey.