Timeline of crypto law

Legislation, rules, and regulatory decisions. 113 dated events from 12 articles. Each links to the article that records it, where the sources are. Dates are as precise as those articles state them, and events from draft articles are marked.

2009

17 June 2009Payment Services Act (Japan)Payment Services Act (Act No. 59 of 2009) enacted
24 June 2009Payment Services Act (Japan)Act promulgated

2017

1 April 2017Payment Services Act (Japan)Registration of virtual currency exchange service providers begins

2019

31 May 2019Payment Services Act (Japan)Diet passes the 2019 amendment
7 June 2019Payment Services Act (Japan)2019 amendment promulgated

2020

10 January 2020UK cryptoasset regimeFCA becomes anti-money laundering supervisor of cryptoasset businesses
May 2020Payment Services Act (Japan)2019 amendment enforced
24 September 2020MiCACommission adopts digital finance package with MiCA proposal

2021

2021BitcoinChina’s mining crackdown
10 January 2021UK cryptoasset regimeDeadline for existing firms to register
7 September 2021BitcoinEl Salvador makes bitcoin legal tender

2022

12 January 2022Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)HKMA discussion paper on crypto-assets and stablecoins
8 June 2022GENIUS Act · StablecoinNew York publishes stablecoin guidance
10 June 2022Payment Services Act (Japan)Stablecoin amendment promulgated
30 June 2022MiCAProvisional agreement

2023

31 January 2023Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)HKMA publishes conclusion of the discussion paper
20 April 2023MiCAParliament approves MiCA
16 May 2023MiCACouncil adopts MiCA
1 June 2023Payment Services Act (Japan)Stablecoin amendment and implementing orders enforced
9 June 2023MiCAPublished in the Official Journal
29 June 2023UK cryptoasset regimeFinancial Services and Markets Act 2023 receives Royal Assent
17 July 2023StablecoinFSB final recommendations
15 August 2023StablecoinSingapore finalises its framework
October 2023UK cryptoasset regimeHM Treasury publishes response to its 2023 consultation
8 October 2023UK cryptoasset regimeCryptoasset financial promotions regime takes effect
27 December 2023Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)FSTB and HKMA consultation on the legislative proposal; sandbox announced

2024

10 January 2024BitcoinUS SEC approves spot bitcoin ETPs
29 February 2024Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)Consultation closes
12 March 2024Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)HKMA launches the stablecoin issuer sandbox
22 May 2024CLARITY ActHouse passes FIT21, 279 to 136
30 June 2024MiCA · StablecoinStablecoin rules (Titles III and IV) apply
1 July 2024USDCCircle's French subsidiary becomes a USDC issuer under MiCA
17 July 2024Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)Consultation conclusions released
18 July 2024Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)Sandbox participants announced
18 December 2024Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)Stablecoins Bill submitted for first reading
30 December 2024MiCARemaining provisions apply

2025

January 2025BitcoinEl Salvador makes bitcoin acceptance voluntary
6 March 2025BitcoinUS executive order on a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
April 2025UK cryptoasset regimeHM Treasury publishes draft cryptoassets order and policy note
8 May 2025GENIUS ActSenate cloture vote fails 48 to 49
19 May 2025GENIUS ActSenate clears cloture
21 May 2025Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)Legislative Council passes the Bill
29 May 2025CLARITY ActH.R. 3633 introduced
30 May 2025Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)Ordinance gazetted
June 2025Payment Services Act (Japan)Act No. 66 of 2025 enacted
10 June 2025CLARITY ActHouse Agriculture (47 to 6) and Financial Services (32 to 19) advance the bill
17 June 2025GENIUS ActSenate passes S. 1582, 68 to 30
10 July 2025MiCAESMA publishes its Malta peer review
17 July 2025CLARITY ActHouse passes H.R. 3633, 294 to 134
17 July 2025GENIUS ActHouse passes the bill, 308 to 122
18 July 2025GENIUS Act · Stablecoin · Tether · USDCPresident Trump signs the Act
August 2025GENIUS ActBank groups ask Congress to extend the interest ban
1 August 2025Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong) · StablecoinHong Kong Stablecoins Ordinance takes effect
5 August 2025LidoSEC staff statement on liquid staking
14 August 2025Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)HKMA and SFC joint statement on speculation
3 September 2025MiCALagarde says gaps remain in MiCA
15 September 2025MiCAFrench, Austrian and Italian regulators propose ESMA supervision
18 September 2025CLARITY ActBill received in the Senate and referred to Banking
19 September 2025GENIUS ActTreasury requests public comment
24 September 2025Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)HKMA warns it has granted no stablecoin issuer licences after offshore-yuan claims
30 September 2025Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong)Deadline for the first batch of licence applications
20 October 2025MiCAESRB publishes its multi-issuer recommendation
10 November 2025UK cryptoasset regimeBank of England consultation proposes holding limits
4 December 2025MiCACommission proposes ESMA supervision of crypto-asset service providers
19 December 2025GENIUS ActFDIC: Applications from subsidiaries of FDIC-supervised institutions

2026

29 January 2026CLARITY ActSenate Agriculture advances its bill, 12 to 11
4 February 2026UK cryptoasset regimeCryptoassets Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/102) made
12 February 2026GENIUS ActNCUA: Licensing and investment by credit unions
2 March 2026GENIUS ActOCC: Framework for issuers under OCC jurisdiction
17 March 2026SolanaSEC interpretation lists SOL as a digital commodity
1 April 2026GENIUS ActTreasury: Principles for judging state regimes
10 April 2026GENIUS ActFDIC: Prudential standards
10 April 2026GENIUS ActFinCEN, OFAC: Anti-money laundering and sanctions programs
10 April 2026Stablecoins Ordinance (Hong Kong) · StablecoinFirst licences granted to Anchorpoint and HSBC
10 April 2026Payment Services Act (Japan)Cabinet approves bill moving crypto-assets to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act
17 April 2026MiCAESMA statement on the end of the transition
1 May 2026CLARITY ActTillis-Alsobrooks stablecoin yield text published
14 May 2026CLARITY ActSenate Banking advances the bill, 15 to 9
20 May 2026MiCACommission opens consultation on reviewing MiCA
22 May 2026Payment Services Act (Japan)Orders implementing the 2025 amendment promulgated
1 June 2026CLARITY ActBanking reports H.R. 3633 with a substitute
1 June 2026Payment Services Act (Japan)2025 amendment and implementing orders take effect
3 June 2026UK cryptoasset regimeLords committee report on stablecoins
22 June 2026UK cryptoasset regimeBank of England policy statement, issuance guardrail of £40 billion
30 June 2026StablecoinUK Financial Conduct Authority final rules
30 June 2026UK cryptoasset regimeFCA policy statements PS26/9 to PS26/13 and joint approach document published
1 July 2026MiCALatest end of service-provider transitional periods
15 July 2026Payment Services Act (Japan)House of Councillors approves the 2026 bill
18 July 2026GENIUS ActOne-year rulemaking deadline
18 August 2026GENIUS ActTreasury: Issuance, offer, and sale under section 3
10 September 2026CLARITY ActRepublicans post revised substitute
14 September 2026CLARITY ActLummis publishes combined text
15 September 2026CLARITY ActSenate cloture on motion to proceed fails, 49 to 50
15 September 2026GENIUS Act · StablecoinCLARITY Act fails to advance in the Senate
15 September 2026UK cryptoasset regimeFurther cryptoasset amendments laid in Parliament
16 September 2026UK cryptoasset regimeFCA publishes PS26/18, perimeter guidance
22 September 2026UK cryptoasset regimeBank consultation on draft Code of Practice closes
24 September 2026MiCAEBA publishes its response on the MiCA review
29 September 2026GENIUS ActFederal Reserve: Rules for Board-supervised issuers and the prohibition on tying stablecoin services to other products
30 September 2026GENIUS ActTreasury interim final state-certification procedures
30 September 2026MiCATargeted MiCA review consultation closes; ESMA publishes its response
30 September 2026UK cryptoasset regimeFCA authorisation gateway opens
8 October 2026MiCAESMA opinion addresses all services involving non-compliant stablecoins
9 October 2026MiCACouncil agrees key elements of its position on ESMA supervision
14 October 2026MiCAEBA classifies USDC as the first significant e-money token
21 October 2026GENIUS Act · StablecoinOCC final rule under the GENIUS Act
21 October 2026MiCAFrench authorities publish joint MiCA review proposals
21 October 2026UK cryptoasset regimeFCA opens CP26/36 perimeter and GC26/7 DeFi consultations

Scheduled as of 31 October 2026

18 November 2026UK cryptoasset regimeDeadline for CP26/36 and GC26/7 responses
18 January 2027GENIUS ActAct and OCC rule take effect
28 February 2027UK cryptoasset regimeFCA authorisation gateway closes
25 October 2027UK cryptoasset regimeRegulations come into force in full
18 July 2028GENIUS ActRestrictions on platform stablecoin sales begin