United Kingdom

Cryptocurrency has taken center stage in the United Kingdom’s growing debate over campaign finance reform, with lawmakers sharply divided on whether to embrace or prohibit digital asset contributions to political campaigns.

Prominent Bitcoin podcaster Peter McCormack is saying he is ready to take justice into his own hands by introducing his very own private-funded security guards to maintain order in his hometown.

A former National Crime Agency officer was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for reaching into the digital wallet of a suspect he was investigated and pocketed 50 bitcoins from his crypto wallet, earning himself a total of £4.4 million.

UK ministers urged a ban on political donations made with cryptocurrency to prevent untraceable foreign influence. Reform UK publicly started accepting Bitcoin for campaign funding, prompting concerns from lawmakers.

Standard Chartered has started offering bitcoin and ether spot trading directly to institutional clients through its UK branch. This makes it the first major global bank to provide regulated crypto trading using existing foreign exchange systems.

In an interview with British media house The Times, the Governor of The Bank of England issued a warning to the world's leading banks against launching their own stablecoins, arguing that such crypto assets threaten global financial stability and undermine the traditional nature of money.

Thousands of UK investors are facing the prospect of losing their investment after administrators uncovered a £2 million shortfall at Ziglu, a British cryptocurrency fintech that collapsed earlier this year.

Two men were jailed in the UK for running a fake crypto investment scam that stole over £1.5 million from at least 65 people. They used cold calls and a fake website to trick victims, with the money never actually invested.

From January 2026, crypto traders in the UK must give personal details to platforms or face fines of up to £300. The new rules aim to stop tax evasion and will require both users and crypto companies to report more information to HMRC.

A British man, Kai West, was arrested in France for allegedly running a major cybercrime ring under the alias "IntelBroker" and leaking stolen data from over 40 organisations. US investigators linked him to the crimes through a small Bitcoin payment that traced back to his real identity.