The proposals are designed to provide firms with greater clarity on using the new technology while ensuring consumer protection.

As the way people invest changes in the future, tokenisation – digital representation of assets on distributed ledger technology – can help asset managers to innovate and stay competitive. Tokenised products could drive competition and increase choice for consumers – and open up new ways to distribute funds, including to those new to investing.

Tokenisation also has the potential to broaden access to private markets and infrastructure investment and ultimately help consumers access more cost-effective and personalised investments.

It offers further opportunities to improve efficiencies and reduce the costs of fund management, for example, by lowering the costs of sharing and reconciling data between firms involved in operating or distributing the fund. The FCA has been actively working with industry to deliver these benefits for asset managers in the UK.

Simon Walls, executive director of markets at the FCA, said: “Tokenisation has the potential to drive fundamental changes in asset management, with benefits for the industry and consumers.

“There are many things that firms can do under our existing rules and more that become possible with the changes we propose enacting now. We stand ready to design the next stage with the industry – this publication suggests a path.

“The UK has the opportunity to be a world-leader here and we want to provide asset managers with the clarity and confidence they need to deliver.”

The FCA’s proposals include:

• Guidance on operating tokenised fund registers under current FCA rules through the UK Blueprint model.
• A streamlined, alternative dealing model for fund managers to process buying and selling of units in authorised funds, whether traditional or tokenised.
• A roadmap to advance fund tokenisation and address key barriers like using public blockchains and settling transactions entirely on the blockchain.
• A discussion on how tokenisation models could evolve and how regulation may need to change.

The move has been welcomed by the industry. Allan Trimmer, head of alternatives product at Aberdeen Group, which has already adopted the technology, called the consultation “hugely supportive”. He highlighted that clarity on standardisation, the use of stablecoins for transaction efficiency, and the future lifecycle of investment management are “critical to maintaining progress”.

Mr Trimmer added: “Making sure these aspects deliver better outcomes for clients is central to our thinking and we look forward to participating in the consultation.”

The FCA’s initiative is part of its wider roadmap for digital assets, furthering the UK’s ambition to be a leading hub for financial innovation.