Share this article
Circle Inks Bank Deal With Barclays After UK Regulator Approval
Bitcoin wallet startup Circle has been granted an electronic money license from a top UK financial regulator.
By Stan Higgins
Updated Sep 11, 2021, 12:13 p.m. Published Apr 6, 2016, 2:20 p.m.
Bitcoin wallet startup Circle has been granted an electronic money license from a top UK financial regulator.
The approval from the UK Financial Conduct Authority – the first of its kind for a digital currency startup – allows Circle to establish a business relationship with London-based bank Barclays.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
As a result, Circle is now able to store pound sterling on behalf of its customer base – similar to how it holds dollars for its customers in the US. Further, UK customers can now send money to and from their bank accounts.
"We support the exploration of positive uses of blockchain that can benefit consumers and society," a spokesperson for Barclays told Reuters.
Circle outlined the announcement in a new blog post, which also detailed the company’s thesis on creating a more social payments platform. For example, customers can include digital media like emojis when they transfer funds.
Co-founders Sean Neville and Jeremy Allaire wrote:
“With Circle’s UK launch, we’re bringing this global vision another step forward. For the first time ever, any consumer in the US or UK can instantly send value, without fees, and with the convenience of sending an email or text. US dollars and pound sterling are becoming more digital and global, and we’re gearing up to bring the same capability to Euro-zone consumers.”
The E-Money license extends past the UK, opening the doors to the rest of the European Union for Circle. The startup indicated that it has plans to add support for euros later this year as part of that planned expansion.
The move also earned praise from the government. In a statement, MP Harriett Baldwin, economic secretary to the UK Treasury, framed the move as part of a broader push for more FinTech firms to make their home in London.
“Britain’s FinTech industry is growing all the time and I am proud the government is playing its part,” she said. “Circle’s decision to launch in the UK and the firm’s new partnership with Barclays are major milestones.”
Disclaimer: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in Circle.
Image via Shutterstock
Lebih untuk Anda
Yang perlu diketahui:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
Lebih untuk Anda
Japan’s Higher Rates Puts Bitcoin in the Crosshairs of a Yen Carry Unwind
A stronger yen typically coincides with de-risking across macro portfolios, and that dynamic could tighten liquidity conditions that recently helped bitcoin rebound from November’s lows.
Yang perlu diketahui:
- The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates to 0.75% at its December meeting, the highest since 1995, affecting global markets including cryptocurrencies.
- A stronger yen could lead to de-risking in macro portfolios, impacting liquidity conditions that have supported bitcoin's recent recovery.
- Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated a high probability of a rate hike, with officials prepared for further tightening if their economic outlook supports it.
Top Stories
