UK Govt Official Swats Question on Proposed Crypto Derivatives Ban

The decision over whether to ban the sale of crypto derivative products to retail customers in the UK will be determined solely by the financial regulator. This was the message delivered by Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, in an answer to a question posed by the Member of Parliament for Shipley, Philip Davies.

Referring to a commitment by the Financial Conduct Authority to launch consultations to find out the implications of prohibiting the sale of cryptocurrency derivatives to retail investors, Glen indicated that it was up to the financial regulator to make the determination. The UK Treasury economic secretary said this while noting that the FCA “is operationally independent from government.”

Besides shifting responsibility for the ban on crypto derivatives, the economic secretary also evaded answering the Shipley MP’s questions fully. Davies had specifically asked for the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s “assessment” with regards to the proposed FCA ban on retail investors signed up with financial technology firm Revolut and other financial institutions that deal in crypto-asset derivative products. Currently, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the UK equivalent of a finance minister, is Sajid Javid.