How Do You Buy Crypto With Royal Bank of Scotland?
- The FCA published final rules for a mandatory UK crypto regime on June 30, 2026.
- Firms can apply for authorization from September 30, 2026, and do it ahead of the October 2027 deadline.
- RBS customers still route purchases through a separate exchange, unchanged by the update.
For most of the past decade, UK crypto firms only had to register for anti-money-laundering purposes. Full financial regulation never applied to them the way it applies to a stockbroker or a bank. That gap is now closing on a set schedule.
The FCA published its final rules and guidance for a mandatory cryptoasset regime on June 30, 2026, and firms can start applying for authorization from September 30, 2026, ahead of a hard deadline of October 25, 2027.
The Royal Bank of Scotland has not changed its own position in any of this. It still does not sell crypto directly, and customers still move funds to a separate exchange to buy it. What has changed is the bar those exchanges now need to clear.
What the New Regime Covers
Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Regulations 2026, firms dealing in cryptoassets, running trading platforms, offering custody, issuing stablecoins, or arranging staking will need direct FCA authorization, which is a bar higher than the anti-money laundering registration has applied since 2020.
Firms that submit applications during the five-month window get a transitional allowance to keep operating while the FCA reviews them. Miss that window, and a firm risks losing the ability to serve UK customers once the regime becomes mandatory.
eToro’s Position and What the Data Shows
eToro is already ahead of this transition. eToro UK Ltd holds full FCA authorization as an investment firm, not just the lighter anti-money laundering registration most exchanges currently rely on. eToro Money UK Ltd handles the payment side under a separate e-money authorization.
The FCA’s own consumer research, published in December 2025, tells a different story than most crypto coverage assumes. Ownership among UK adults actually fell to 8 percent, down from 12 percent the year before, even as the amounts held by remaining investors grew larger. Bitcoin held its position as the most owned asset, at 57 percent of users, with Ethereum at 43 percent.
Buying Crypto With an RBS Account
Open an account with an FCA-authorized platform.
Check the exchange’s status on the FCA register before depositing anything. Registration and full authorization are not the same thing, and the difference matters more now than it did a year ago.
Complete identity verification.
Expect to submit a passport or driver’s license along with standard KYC checks.
Link your RBS account.
Add your RBS details through the exchange’s deposit section to enable transfers.
Deposit GBP.
Minimum deposit amounts vary by platform. Funds typically clear within one to two business days.
Buy the asset.
Check the live rate before confirming, since both move throughout the day.
What This Means Between Now and 2027
None of this forces an immediate switch away from a platform RBS customers already use. It does change what is worth checking before opening a new account. A platform that only holds the older 2017 money laundering registration will need to secure full authorization during the 2026 to 2027 window, or it will need to stop serving UK customers once the deadline passes.
Tax treatment stays separate from all of this. HMRC still taxes crypto disposals under existing rules regardless of which regime the exchange operates under. Our crypto tax guide covers how those rules apply, and our comparison of crypto sign-up bonuses covers current offers across platforms.
FAQs
Does RBS let me buy crypto directly?
No. RBS does not offer direct crypto purchases. Customers link their account to a separate but regulated exchange.
What did the FCA change on June 30, 2026?
On 30th June the FCA published final rules and guidance completing the UK’s mandatory cryptoasset authorization regime. The changes also cover trading platforms, custody, stablecoin issuance, and staking arrangements.
When do exchanges need to be authorized by?
The application window opens 30th September, 2026, but the mandatory regime starts to take effect on 25th October next year.
Is eToro affected by the new rules?
Not in the way most exchanges are. eToro UK Ltd already holds full FCA authorization as an investment firm, well above the baseline registration most of the industry is still working from.
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