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UK Startups and Innovation
22APR

FCA puts Revolut in stablecoin sandbox

3 min read
17:16UTC

The FCA named Revolut, Monee, ReStabilise and VVTX to test stablecoin services in its regulatory sandbox, with Revolut still chasing the banking licence it first sought in 2021.

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Key takeaway

Revolut won a slot to test stablecoins inside FCA rules still being written, not guessing at unpublished ones.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) selected four firms to test stablecoin services in its regulatory sandbox, naming Revolut, Monee, ReStabilise and VVTX 1. Revolut is the headline: Britain's most-valued private fintech at roughly $45bn, still chasing the full UK banking licence it first sought in 2021.

A regulatory sandbox lets a firm trial a product under FCA supervision before the rules around it are finalised. For a stablecoin issuer, that supervision is the whole point, because the UK framework for fiat-backed tokens is being drafted now rather than settled.

The regulator also opened a second cohort of its AI Lab, eight firms testing AI tools with access to Nvidia compute and FCA data, following the first AI Live Testing intake in April . The posture is consistent with the FCA's drive to thin the rulebook, having cut Senior Managers and Certification Regime roles by 15% in the spring . For a fintech founder, a sandbox slot is the difference between building toward an unwritten rule and testing inside one the regulator is writing alongside you.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

A stablecoin is a type of digital currency whose value is fixed to a real currency, like the pound sterling. Unlike Bitcoin, which swings wildly in value, a stablecoin always trades at £1. They are used for instant payments, transfers and as a building block for financial applications that run on public computer networks. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) runs a regulatory sandbox, an environment where companies can test products under supervision before the full legal framework is in place. On 8 June 2026, the FCA selected Revolut and three other firms to test stablecoin services in that sandbox. Revolut, the UK's largest fintech by valuation at roughly $45bn, is the most prominent selection. Getting into the sandbox is the first step toward full FCA authorisation to issue a stablecoin commercially in the UK.

What could happen next?
  • Opportunity

    Revolut's sandbox entry gives it 18-24 months of supervised transaction data before the final FCA stablecoin authorisation regime is live, a first-mover advantage in sterling digital payments that smaller fintech competitors cannot replicate on the same timeline.

    Medium term · Assessed
  • Risk

    The FCA's 28-month average sandbox-to-authorisation timeline (from the 2017-19 PSD2 precedent) means the UK stablecoin regime may not be commercially live until mid-2028, after MiCA-authorised EU issuers have established network effects in digital euro and digital pound-adjacent products.

    Medium term · Suggested
  • Meaning

    The FCA AI Lab second cohort, using NVIDIA compute and FCA live data, continues the regulator's shift from reactive rule-enforcement toward active participation in the supervised testing of technologies that will reshape UK financial services.

    Short term · Assessed
Sources:Financial Conduct Authority
Mentions:Financial Conduct Authority →Monee →ReStabilise →VVTX →Nvidia →Senior Managers and Certification Regime →AI Live Testing →Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance →Cambridge →Singapore →FCA AI Lab →Revolut →
First Reported In

Update #8 · London startup raises Britain's own AI model

Financial Conduct Authority· 14 Jun 2026
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Causes and effects
Caused by
FCA names eight firms in AI Live Testing round two
The FCA's stablecoin sandbox and second AI Lab cohort follow the first AI Live Testing intake in April 2026, continuing the regulator's drive to thin the rulebook.
Occurred 21 Apr 2026
Read story →
FCA and PRA cut SM&CR certification by 15%
The FCA's stablecoin sandbox is consistent with its drive to cut regulatory overhead, having reduced SM&CR certification roles by 15% in spring 2026.
Occurred 22 Apr 2026
Read story →
This Event
FCA puts Revolut in stablecoin sandbox
A sandbox slot lets a fintech build inside a rule the regulator is still writing, rather than guessing at one it has not yet published.
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