“Gemini’s exit seems to be about friction. The company is leaving the UK, Europe and Australia while focusing on the US and Singapore, which tells you capital is moving to jurisdictions where firms can operate with clarity and scale. Prolonged regulatory uncertainty in the UK makes it harder to hire, invest and build compliant operations, and that has real consequences.” This is what I told Payment Expert on Gemini's exits. Gemini is describing a regulatory regime that is more expensive and less certain than alternatives, leaving firms to reallocate to where they are treated best. If the FCA and UK policymakers want innovation here, they need to fix that rather than celebrate frameworks that chase business away. Full article: https://paymentexpert.com/2026/02/06/gemini-lay-offs-exits-three-markets/

Gemini has announced it is leaving the UK, alongside exits from Europe and Australia, and is refocusing on the US and Singapore. I discussed exactly this risk at the Financial Times Digital Assets Summit last May. This is what happens when compliance becomes cumbersome and prohibitively expensive. Smaller companies are pushed out first. Over time large and established businesses reassess whether it makes sense to continue operating in an environment where regulatory uncertainty, cost and process complexity keep increasing. Gemini is not a small startup, it is one of the largest regulated exchanges to have operated in the UK. When firms of this size choose to concentrate activity in jurisdictions they view as more business friendly, it reflects how growth conditions, capital allocation, and long term viability are being weighed. What we are seeing is business leaving the UK, reduced competition, slower growth, and fewer companies choosing to build here. This is an important moment for policymakers and regulators to reflect on how current frameworks are affecting business confidence, competition, and growth in the UK.

Gemini

Gemini closing accounts in the UK, EU, and Australia - Everything you need to know

What is happeningEffective 6 April 2026, Gemini will close all customer accounts in the United Kingdom, European Economic Area, and Australia.Durin...

After 3 years at Bitcoin Policy UK, having worked as Head of Mining and Energy before becoming CEO, I'm stepping back from this role.  We've achieved so much with limited resources: delivering serious Bitcoin only policy engagement and gaining credibility with UK policymakers. We are all proud of that legacy.  However, the required funding did not materialise, so BPUK is working towards minimal maintenance mode by 31 March 2026. All remaining funds and donations will help keep the work alive, with the rest held in Bitcoin in hope we can revive the organisation when the UK is ready. With Bitcoin at 60% dominance and the UK a leader in finance and computer science, this should have been a clear priority. The UK still needs to move beyond its altcoin and speculation phase. It's not over, it's just not the right time. We are still early.  Full announcement here:

Bitcoin Policy UK

Announcement from CEO: BPUK Is Entering a Consolidation Phase

After three years helping to build Bitcoin Policy UK, most recently as CEO, I have decided to step down from my role.

Huge thanks to all our amazing volunteers, advisors, members, supporters, contributors, and everyone who's engaged constructively. The expertise and ideas are there, the real gap is resourcing principled Bitcoin voices in policy.

Is the Bank of England prepping for an alien induced financial meltdown? Former analyst warns of 'ontological shock' leading to market chaos and rushes to safe havens like... wait for it... gold or bitcoin. Meanwhile in the UK, policymakers are still treating bitcoin like an alien concept...

Bitcoin ≠ generic cryptoasset. It's a decentralised monetary network with no issuer. Treating it otherwise ignores risks, confuses consumers and drives bad policy. My latest Forbes article explains why. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2026/01/19/why-bitcoin-shouldnt-be-regulated-like-crypto/

Inflation is a silent tax. Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng explains why fiat money is failing, from post 1971 monetary debasement and debt spirals to how Bitcoin reconnects money to energy. Watch now on @Roxom TV, link below.

The recently implemented Crypto Asset Reporting Framework is still being described as a narrow “crypto tax reporting” change. That framing misses what’s actually happening. CARF doesn’t calculate tax owed. The data it gathers is too blunt for that. Instead, it aggregates holdings and transaction data to build risk profiles, flagging individuals for scrutiny without the context needed to reflect their true tax position. As I wrote last year, “CARF remains a high stakes experiment regulating the crypto asset sector.” The scale of data collection is unprecedented. Under the proposals, exchanges and service providers will hold and transmit balances and transactions, as well as home addresses obtained through KYC and AML checks. “Given the substantial data volumes and compliance mandates, the risk of misinterpretation is significant.” The concentration of sensitive financial and personal data across dozens of jurisdictions increases the likelihood of false positives, unwarranted enquiries, data breaches and real world harm. Governments present CARF as transparency. In practice, it’s a global surveillance framework applied to a system that wasn’t designed for it, with consequences that extend far beyond tax. “CARF’s rollout marks an important moment for the crypto industry. Its success will depend on balancing government's push for financial transparency with individuals' desire for privacy. Whether it strikes this balance or intensifies existing tensions remains to be seen.” Article below: https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/11/24/bitcoin-privacy-carf-and-government-oversight/

Digital ID was debated in Parliament, in a Westminster Hall debate opened by Robbie Moore MP on behalf of the Petitions Committee and triggered by a petition signed by nearly three million people. The response from MPs across parties was overwhelmingly NO. Across all parties, Conservatives, Labour backbenchers, Liberal Democrats, Greens, the SNP, Reform and Independents raised the same core concerns: • Moves Britain toward a surveillance state • Irreversible centralisation of personal data • Major cyber security risk • Serious risk of mission creep• Not in the manifesto and no democratic mandate • Constituents do not want it • Would become mandatory in practice • Harms the most vulnerable and the digitally excluded • Creates a two tier society Reading from a constituent's message, Jeremy Corbyn, an independent MP, said: "Digital ID is a deeply illiberal idea that threatens privacy, autonomy and the open access we should be standing for. It risks creating a two tier Britain where access to basic services, healthcare, housing, employment, even voting, depends on whether someone has the right app, paperwork or digital trail." Reflecting the vast cross party consensus in the debate, Corbyn endorsed an intervention from Andrew Griffith MP warning about civil liberties, the presumption of innocence and surveillance concerns, saying "he's making an important point," before going on to warn that digital ID is "being pushed by commercial interests" and urging Parliament to "say no to the government, as we have said no before." In the debate, opposition to the proposals spanned both the political right and left. Speaker after speaker warned that once this infrastructure exists, it will expand into work, housing, banking, benefits and public services, regardless of today's assurances. What this debate showed very clearly is that left versus right is no longer the most meaningful divide. The real divide is libertarian versus authoritarian. MPs from across the political spectrum lined up on the liberty side. That matters, particularly in a country with a growing reputation for restricting free speech and quietly sleepwalking into authoritarianism. It also raises uncomfortable questions ... If no one wants this, and Parliament agrees it is dangerous, why is it being pushed so hard? Jeremy Corbyn was clear about the role of commercial interests, a concern reinforced by policy advocacy from groups such as the Tony Blair Institute and Visa, which has openly argued for the introduction of digital ID's. Others also raised concerns about lobbying, infrastructure vendors, payments firms, and ID adjacent technology providers. This petition and debate offered a rare moment of reassurance in our parliamentary system. MPs listened, understood the risks, and spoke up.

Is this time different? Are we in a bear market or is the four year cycle breaking down? As 2026 begins, bitcoin’s behaviour looks increasingly shaped by structure and capital flows rather than speculation. Full analysis in yesterday’s Forbes article. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2026/01/01/what-is-bitcoins-price-prediction-for-2026/

Bitcoin hasn’t changed, but the market around it has. My annual NGU article looks at what that means for 2026, as structure and capital flows begin to dominate price discovery. Full analysis in my latest Forbes article. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2026/01/01/what-is-bitcoins-price-prediction-for-2026/

Bitcoin was built to remove discretion from money. When growth weakens and inflation persists, rates are moved and hope is meant to do the rest. In a discretionary system, those in power decide when to inflict pain, moving rates to crush demand, slow spending, weaken jobs and suppress prices, while calling the damage stability. Savers lose, risk bends and debt holds the system together ... until it doesn’t. This is what happens when economic theory hardens into doctrine. @Roxom TV

Signed off for Christmas on @Roxom TV with Gemmy. Fiat is on the naughty list. Bitcoin is hope, freedom, and patience. Santa rally or not, the signal stays the same. Merry Christmas!

Britain is heading toward a monetary breaking point and Steve Baker doesn’t hold back. In this conversation he lays out why fiat money is failing, why Westminster can’t see the crisis it created, and why Bitcoin is the only credible way out. We get into democracy, technocracies, media misinformation, forever wars, CBDCs and the incentives quietly steering UK policy off a cliff. If you want the unfiltered version of political reality this one is worth a watch. Watch the full episode on @Roxom TV. Link below:

Is Saylor building his own central bank? His Bitcoin MENA keynote mapped out something far bigger than balance sheet accumulation. He described a full monetary engine built on bitcoin reserves, corporate credit and synthetic digital dollars. Here is how it works and why it matters in my latest Forbes piece. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/12/11/saylors-plan-to-build-a-bitcoin-powered-shadow-central-bank/

Today has been a wild day at Bitcoin MENA. My day was going to start with a panel, which turned into a fireside thanks to visa issues, and almost became a keynote. Thankfully @Erik Hersman jumped in and saved me. Loved hanging out with the @Roxom TV team, interviewing Tony at The Bitcoin Way, @Daniel Batten , and Kyle Knight from Bitcoin Culture Hub. It was great spending time on the livedesk with @Frank Corva and Lukas Duczko, Chairman at Blink. Thanks @The Bitcoin Conference , it’s been a blast!

One year ago today, I became CEO of Bitcoin Policy UK. Since then, our small team of volunteers has achieved what most well funded organisations struggle to do, in one of the toughest environments for UK businesses. Individuals and companies are leaving the country at a record pace, and the policy space is dominated by pay to play dynamics and crypto lobbying money. Despite that, we have delivered. What we have accomplished together: - Helped secure Bitcoin’s recognition as property in UK law. - Responded to government consultations, submitted detailed policy papers, and held constructive conversations with MPs, Lords, regulators, and civil-service teams. - Launched our new website - Distributed our 2025 Manifesto to all 650 MPs and expanded our research across energy, tax, financial inclusion, and infrastructure. - Hosted events on Human Rights, Bitcoin in Business, and Bitcoin for Institutions. - Had a presence and a main hall stall at the 2025 Labour Party Conference, opening new Bitcoin conversations. - Partnered with 11 organisations and hosted multiple BPUK events that connected the bitcoin industry with policymakers, energy experts, and regulators. - Appeared in multiple podcasts, interviews, and media articles -Set up mining proof of concepts -Launch our 'On the Record' podcast. - Spoke at industry events around the world. - Designed and delivered the ‘Contact My MP’ App, helping supporters reach their representatives directly and raising the bar for political engagement in the Bitcoin space. All of this has been achieved by a team of outstanding volunteers with no full time staff, very modest funding, and no compromise to our values. We have been pushing uphill in a system where influence is usually bought. We have moved the dial and proven that the UK does have a place in Bitcoin’s future, provided we continue to fight for it. Year one was foundations. Year two is where we build strength and momentum. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, shared our work, and contributed time, expertise, or energy. BPUK exists because the community wants it to. Here’s to the next chapter. A special thanks to my amazing team: Freddie New Dr Cristina Llamas-Rey Russell Rukin Nick Bowick Jeremy Cline Juniper Jason Jason Sami Shams and others who prefer to stay behind the scenes. @Bitcoin Policy UK @fnew @Jace @Jeremy Cline

Packed first day at Bitcoin MENA with discussions on sovereignty, Bitcoin as a medium of exchange, and how the UAE keeps pulling in talent and innovation by actually listening to people in the space. Wrapped it up with the Musqet team. @Frank Corva @Bitcoin Magazine @₿𝔢𝔫 ∞/2.1Psat ⚡️💊🧠📚🇳🇿🇩🇪Ⓐ🏴🌹 @MUSQET

Africa is showing the world what Bitcoin is actually for. At the African Bitcoin Conference in Mauritius, you see it up close. When banks fail and currencies collapse, people build their own solutions. Real innovation is happening in Africa while the Western world sleeps. My latest Forbes article: @White Noise https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/12/05/africa-turns-to-bitcoin-for-real-financial-solutions/

Loved every second of Bitcoin Amsterdam. From KYC to mining to the satoshi quiz, the whole event was on fire. Huge respect to everyone who put it together. Bitcoin feels stronger than ever.

The cracks in the fiat system are becoming impossible to ignore. I spoke with Archie from @Bitcoin Archive about why governments can’t print trust, how central banks are panicking as debt spirals deepen, and why Bitcoin is becoming the escape hatch for a world losing faith in money. We also disussed the new global order, hyperinflation, and the end of monetary privacy, and why Bitcoiners saw this collapse coming.... With a special guest appearance from Ozzy. Watch the full conversation on @Roxom TV.