Overview
- The FCA, which led a joint operation on Wednesday, issued cease-and-desist letters at eight London premises suspected of running unregistered peer-to-peer crypto trades.
- Officers gathered evidence now feeding several criminal investigations under the UK’s 2017 anti–money-laundering and counter–terrorist financing rules.
- The regulator says no peer-to-peer crypto traders are registered in Britain, and officials warned unregistered deals can help criminals move and hide illicit funds.
- Users who trade through these operators have no access to the Financial Ombudsman or compensation schemes, and many deals rely on cash or bank transfers that are harder to trace.
- The sweep builds on earlier actions against illegal crypto ATMs and a 2024 unlicensed exchange case, and it foreshadows a licensing window in September 2026 before a full regime in October 2027.