Crypto Staking Company KR1 Plans to List on the London Stock Exchange: FT

Cryptocurrency staking company KR1 plans to list on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in a sign of warming sentiment to the crypto industry in the U.K., the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

In an interview with the newspaper, co-founder Keld van Schreven described the move, scheduled for next month, as a "starter gun" for crypto firms. The Isle of Man-based company is currently listed on the small-cap, Aquis exchange.

The company wouldn't be the first crypto company on the main board. The most prominent is Argo Blockchain (ARGO). The bitcoin miner, however, plans to delist in December once a court approves its restructuring plans. There are also digital asset treasury companies such as London BTC Co. and Panther Metals, whose crypto involvement is based on buying and holding digital assets

Van Schreven said the regulatory environment in the U.K. has become more open to crypto companies recently. The Financial Conduct Authority "hired a lot pf people internally ... they've put a lot more resources into this asset class," he said.

The most visible sign of a warming approach to digital assets in the U.K. was the recent lifting of a ban on retail customers accessing exchange-traded products (ETPs), which saw the likes of BlackRock and Bitwise list their flagship crypto investment vehicles on the LSE.

KR1 did not immediately respond to CoinDesk's request for further comment.