Europe · GB
A demanding, high-credibility regulatory environment, now outside EU passporting, with separate regulators for gambling and financial services.
At a glance
Overview
The UK is one of the largest regulated markets for online gambling and financial services. Businesses offering gambling to consumers in Great Britain require a licence from the Gambling Commission regardless of where they are based.
The Financial Conduct Authority authorises payment and e-money institutions and investment firms and registers cryptoasset businesses for AML purposes, with a broader cryptoasset regime being introduced. Since Brexit, UK authorisation does not provide EU passporting rights, and vice versa.
Authorities
Regimes
Required to offer gambling to consumers in Great Britain.
Sectors: Gaming
FCA authorisation for e-money and payment services.
Sectors: Payments
FCA permissions for brokerage, dealing and related activities.
Sectors: Investment
AML registration for cryptoasset businesses, alongside the developing authorisation regime.
Sectors: Crypto
Applications and regulator engagement for these routes are handled by our Regulatory & Licensing practice.
Considerations
This overview is general information, summarised at a high level. Requirements change and depend on the specific activity; seek advice on your circumstances before acting.
Industries
Across jurisdictions
Services we support across the jurisdictions in our directory, described once on their own pages. How each is delivered depends on the local requirements that apply; where local qualification is required, we coordinate locally qualified counsel.
Support
Insights
Analysis
As operators add licences, group structures often grow by accretion. A few structural principles make the difference between a group that scales and one that stalls at the next regulator or bank review.
6 min read
Share a few details about your business and plans. We will come back to arrange a confidential initial conversation.
