ClearToken Gains FCA Approval for CT Settle to Revolutionize Digital Asset Settlement

ClearToken, a London-based market infrastructure firm, has secured authorization from the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for its innovative delivery-versus-payment (DvP) net settlement system, CT Settle. The system is designed to streamline the settlement of digital assets, stablecoins, and fiat currencies, addressing one of the crypto industry’s major inefficiencies—capital tied up through the pre-funding of trades.

The firm aims to enhance liquidity and reduce counterparty risk by enabling true DvP settlement, where assets and payments move simultaneously. This eliminates the need for prefunded collateral, freeing up capital and improving overall market efficiency. ClearToken’s solution mirrors established systems in traditional finance, such as CLS in foreign exchange, by integrating the same level of legal certainty and risk management into crypto markets.

Supported by Nomura’s subsidiary Laser Digital and other investors, ClearToken is building a comprehensive post-trade infrastructure to support 24/7 digital asset markets. The platform’s objective is to create a safer, more efficient environment for digital trading that aligns with the operational standards of traditional financial systems.

Beyond CT Settle, the company has plans to introduce a central counterparty clearing house (CCP)—pending approval from the Bank of England—and to expand into tokenized securities through the U.K.’s Digital Securities Sandbox. This expansion underscores ClearToken’s broader ambition to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the digital asset economy.

ClearToken’s FCA authorization positions it among a select few compliant digital asset service providers in the U.K. The firm joins X Capital Group, which received approval earlier this month, marking a significant step toward establishing a regulated framework for the growing digital finance sector.