After years of pressure the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is set to take the inevitable step of removing barriers to all investors accessing crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs), a move which will enable the trackers to proliferate across UK portfolios.

While professional investors can already access around 30 of the products listed on the London Stock Exchange – after completing a test proving they can deal in “complex financial instruments” – the FCA’s recent proposal could see a four-year ban on retail access lifted as soon as September.

Crucially, the end of the prohibition will make it easier for crypto ETPs to appear in multi-asset portfolios, including those whose end users may not be qualified professionals.

A new…