Guide
Crypto licence cost in the UK: the FCA fee, in pounds
Updated
One number on this site is not in euro, because the FCA publishes it in pounds and converting it would be inventing an exchange rate.
The registration fee
The FCA places cryptoasset business registration in fee-block G23, and its FEES Appendix 4 Annex 1 sets the registration fee at pricing Category 6. On the FCA's authorisation and registration application fees page, last updated 13 July 2026, Category 6 is £11,260. The FCA states the fee is payable when the application is submitted and is not refundable if the application is unsuccessful, and that registered firms also pay annual periodic fees.
The requirement itself sits in the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017: regulation 56(1)(f) and (g) prohibit acting as a cryptoasset exchange provider or custodian wallet provider without registration, and regulation 14A defines both.
What is changing, and when
The UK is moving cryptoasset activities into the Financial Services and Markets Act regime. The FCA's page on registration under the MLRs ahead of the new FSMA regime, last updated 30 June 2026, states that applications for authorisation under FSMA open on 30 September 2026 and the new regime is expected to start on 25 October 2027.
- Before 30 September 2026: MLR registration applications are assessed as normal.
- On or after 30 September 2026: the FCA will encourage firms to seek FSMA authorisation instead, and firms still wanting registration should contact its pre-application support service. Where it accepts both, a single application fee is charged: the higher of the MLR registration fee and the FSMA authorisation fee.
- After 31 July 2027: the FCA says it is unlikely to determine a registration application before the new regime starts, and firms should not apply for registration after that date.
- Throughout: registration under the MLRs does not guarantee authorisation under FSMA. They are separate decisions.
Why a UK registration is not an EU licence
They are different regimes with different purposes. A UK MLR registration is an anti-money-laundering registration; a MiCA authorisation is a prudential and conduct licence with capital requirements, client asset rules and an EU-wide passport. Neither is recognised by the other: MiCA has no third-country equivalence route, and Article 59(2) requires an EU registered office, effective management in the Union and a Union-resident director.
Figures on this page are in pounds because that is how the FCA publishes them. We do not convert official figures into euro, because the rate we picked would become part of the claim.