Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Crypto World

UK investors only have until April to add crypto ETNs to their ISAs: FT

Published

on

UK investors only have until April to add crypto ETNs to their ISAs: FT

U.K. investors will no longer be able to add crypto exchange-traded notes (ETNs) to their tax-free individual savings accounts (ISAs) after the start of the new tax year on April 6, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Wednesday.

The tax authority, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), will reclassify cryptocurrency ETNs as qualifying instruments only for Innovative Finance ISAs (IFISAs), rather than the more mainstream stocks and shares ISAs.

ISAs allow users to put away up to 20,000 pounds ($27,000) a year without paying income tax or capital gains tax on the returns. The two main types are cash ISAs, bank account-like investments that pay interest, and stocks and shares ISAs, which invest in equities and exchange-traded instruments.

The Financial Conduct Authority’s decision to lift the ban on retail investors accessing crypto ETNs last October was seen as a major development in the adoption of cryptocurrency investments in the U.K., as it raised the possibility of the vehicles being added to everyday products like ISAs.

Advertisement

Limiting them to IFISAs means this opportunity will be snuffed out because no mainstream investment platforms offer them. IFISAs are a somewhat obscure investment wrapper, offered largely for purposes of peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding. None of the 57 platforms currently authorized to offer IFISAs have plans to support crypto ETNs, according to the FT’s report, depriving investors of the tax shield that ISAs provide.

Investors who already have crypto ETN holdings in their ISAs will not be forced to sell them, however, as doing so “could risk some level of market disruption,” HMRC said.

The authority said the ruling was due to crypto ETNs’ “innovative nature and the fact that is an emerging market,” and it would keep the decision under review with a view to including them in stocks and shares ISAs at a later date.

The decision risks positioning the U.K. as an outlier among major financial markets, where exchange-traded products (ETPs) have opened the door to crypto investment for a much wider base of users because they remove some of the technical aspects such as needing to deal with crypto exchanges and wallets.

Advertisement

George Bauer, Fidelity’s head of investment and product for global platform solutions, said the government’s approach “challenges the intention of allowing regulated access to crypto assets,” the FT reported.

“We would encourage the government and HMRC to reconsider this and allow access through stocks-and-shares ISAs which are much more widely used.”

HMRC did not respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Crypto World

$5 million political donation by BitMEX’s Delo lands amid U.K. crypto crackdown

Published

on

$5 million political donation by BitMEX’s Delo lands amid U.K. crypto crackdown

Ben Delo, co-founder of crypto exchange BitMEX, said he donated 4 million pounds ($5.1 million) to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, in an opinion piece for The Telegraph Wednesday.

Delo wrote that the contribution was made “since the start of this year” to help build Reform UK into “a genuine alternative party of government.”

The op-ed does not specify whether the donation was made in fiat currency or cryptocurrency, though he also expressed support for a proposed U.K. government moratorium on political donations made in cryptoassets, citing regulatory complexity.

Guidance from the U.K. Electoral Commission, last updated April 7, 2026, states that crypto donations are currently not prohibited under electoral law, but are treated as non-monetary donations and must be valued in pounds at the time of receipt. Parties must also verify donor identity, particularly for contributions above 500 pounds.

Advertisement

The Commission also noted government plans to introduce a moratorium on crypto donations, potentially applying retrospectively to contributions received from March 25, 2026, though no legal changes have yet taken effect.

Late last month, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government announced an immediate moratorium on cryptocurrency donations to political parties, citing concerns that digital assets could be used to obfuscate the origin and motivation behind donations in British politics.

The move placed crypto at the centre of a broader crackdown on foreign interference, signaling that regulators view digital payments as a democratic risk rather than a financial one.

Electoral Commission data does not reveal any contributions listed under Delo or BitMEX.

Advertisement

Delo did not respond to a CoinDesk request for further information.

Farage acknowledged the support on X, writing that “brave people like Ben Delo” were becoming “even more determined” to back Reform UK.

In December, British multi-billionaire Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based entrepreneur who has invested in stablecoin issuer Tether and crypto exchange Bitfinex, made a donation of 9 million pounds to Reform.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Crypto World

Binance Rolls out Prediction Markets for App Using Predict.fun

Published

on

Cryptocurrency Exchange, Applications, Binance, Prediction Markets

Binance Wallet has integrated prediction market features into its app, saying it will cover all trading and settlement transaction fees for users as it make a play for a piece of the $20 billion market.

In a Thursday notice, Binance said it will launch probability-based markets as a feature on the company’s app through an integration with third-party platforms, starting with Predict.fun. According to the crypto exchange, the integration will be “gasless,” with the company sponsoring fees for trades and settlements on the BNB Smart Chain.

Cryptocurrency Exchange, Applications, Binance, Prediction Markets
Source: Binance

Prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket offer users the chance to take a position on the outcome of events in a variety of topics, including politics and sports. The latter has put those platforms in the sights of multiple US state authorities who have filed lawsuits for allegedly violating state gaming laws by offering sports bets.

Binance’s integration is the latest example of a crypto platform moving deeper into prediction markets despite some of the more controversial bets on the platforms. Polymarket, for example, has offered users contracts on events related to US-Israeli military actions against Iran.

Related: DOJ and CFTC seek halt to Arizona action against Kalshi

Advertisement

According to data from TRM Labs, the monthly transaction volume across prediction markets platforms reached $20 billion in January — a twenty-fold increase from levels seen in early 2025.

Kalshi co-founder denies Trump son is influencing US regulators

While state-level gaming authorities pursue the platforms in court, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has claimed it has “exclusive jurisdiction” to oversee prediction markets. Amid challenges by federal regulators to state actions, ties between some of the companies and the current US administration have stoked concerns among industry leaders and lawmakers about conflicts of interest.

In an Axios interview released on Thursday, Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour and co-founder Luana Lopes Lara addressed questions about conflicts due to hiring US President Donald Trump’s son as a strategic adviser shortly before his father took office. 

“We have never asked for any favors […] and he has never done anything, any regulatory ask, nothing like that,” said Lara, referring to Donald Trump Jr. using his connections to the US government.

Advertisement

Magazine: Anger grows over Polymarket bets on Iran war: ‘Dystopian death market’