Valour Secures FCA Approval for Retail Crypto ETPs on LSE

• The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DeFi Technologies, Johan Wattenstorm, revealed that this is a big breakout for Valour.
• The approval of the firm also aligns with the broader regulatory involvement in the crypto industry of the United Kingdom.

Valour has recently got a regulatory approval to provide cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) to retail investors on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).  The approval is given by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), permitting Valour to widen beyond professional investors and make its products accessible to the majority. 

The new offerings that got approval are the 1 Valour Bitcoin Physical Staking ETP and the 1 Valour Ethereum Physical Staking ETP, which initiated trading on the LSE on January 26, 2026.  

These products help in providing physically collateralised exposure to BTC and ETH, including staking rewards in their net asset value, permitting investors to have blockchain-based yields in standard broking accounts. 

The Major Milestone For The Firm 

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DeFi Technologies, Johan Wattenstorm, revealed that this is a big breakout for Valour and DeFi Technologies as we carry forward to broaden access to regulated digital asset investment products. 

He also mentioned that the approval was mainly significant to the long-term strategy of the firm, taking into consideration that the UK is a financial hub in the world. In October last year, the FCA scraped off a prolonged ban that has restricted retail access to crypto exchange-traded notes since 2021.

The new framework permitted crypto ETPs to be sold in retail, but only of BTC and ETH, physically supported, having regulated custodians having cold storage facilities. The products are not conditional upon the Financial Services Compensation Scheme under the current regulations, and because of this investors are at risk of issuer and market risks.  

Crypto ETFs will also change to Innovative Finance ISAs as of April 2026, as they are currently regulated. Valour had also so far floated such products in the LSE, but only professional investors will get access to them. 

The approval of the firm also aligns with the broader regulatory involvement in the crypto industry of the United Kingdom. In January 2026, Ripple safeguarded FCA permission to conduct itself as an Electronic Money Institution, which will permit it to surge regulated payment services in the country. 

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