UK FCA's Blueprint for Fund Tokenization Nearing Completion

cryptonews.com:

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the regulatory body overseeing the financial sector in the UK, is close to completing of a blueprint for fund tokenization.

In a recent speech, FCA Chair Ashley Alder revealed that the FCA has been collaborating with the Technology Working Group to develop this blueprint, which aims to leverage distributed ledger technology (DLT) for fully digitized funds.

"We’ve been working with the Technology Working Group, which sits under the Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce, on a blueprint for fund tokenisation," he said. 

"The working group will publish this later in the year."

Back in February, the FCA published a discussion paper focusing on enhancing the asset management regime in the country. 

Within the paper, it explored the potential adoption of DLT by fund managers to offer digitized funds to the public.

Alder highlighted the ongoing engagement between the FCA and firms and trade associations regarding proposals for fund tokenization, signaling the regulator's commitment to gathering input and considering necessary rule changes.

Fund tokenization involves the issuance of digital tokens that represent ownership interests in a fund, utilizing DLT for transparency and efficiency. 

By using this technology, they aim to streamline the process of managing and investing in funds, providing enhanced accessibility and liquidity for investors.

"Many firms see use cases for distributed ledger technology (DLT), even if direct marketing of tokens may be some time off. So, we’ve already held a tech-sprint with the industry to test policy initiatives and the rule changes needed to support work on fund tokenisation."

Last week, the FCA implemented some new rules pertaining to digital assets, which require