OANDA Crypto, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency brokerage firm, is preparing to launch crypto trading services in the UK, offering 63 crypto trading pairs to begin with and expand its services further.
With the intention of incorporating additional features and tokens in the future, the novel cryptocurrency trading platform will provide trading services for more than 63 pairs of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ether.
OANDA’s recent expansion into the United Kingdom follows its collaboration with Paxos, a prominent cryptocurrency trading platform, to launch crypto trading services in the United States over a year ago.
The organization recently undertook a strategic shift from Malta to Warsaw, Poland, where it acquired the Polish broker Dom Maklerski TMS Brokers SA, which subsequently changed to OANDA TMS.
Before the United Kingdom, the crypto brokerage firm frequently selected regions with stringent regulatory requirements, including the United States. Numerous prominent cryptocurrency enterprises have discontinued their operations in the United Kingdom since October 2023 after the FCA implemented novel regulatory principles concerning crypto advertising.
Last year, cryptocurrency companies, including Bybit and Revolut, suspended operations temporarily in the United Kingdom, citing the new FCA promotion rules.
Aside from FCA-registered virtual asset service providers, the new advertising regulations restrict the promotion of such services within the nation. In addition, the rules mandate that cryptocurrency companies substantially modify their online platforms to apprise prospective clients of investment risks more effectively.
Cryptocurrency firms exhibited “significant levels of non-compliance” with the crypto promotion rules that went into effect on October 8, 2023, according to the FCA. The regulator emphasized that it issued 450 consumer notifications against virtual asset companies engaging in the illegal promotion of cryptocurrencies between October 8 and December 31, 2023.
Conversely, Lucian Lauerman, director of digital assets at OANDA, characterized the United Kingdom market as exceptionally informed and dynamic. Furthermore, the market is “becoming more aligned with the markets in which we have historically operated,” he continued. There has been a modest increase in the regulatory bar.