uk-investors-regain-tax-free-access-to-crypto-etns-via-innovative-finance-isa-route
UK investors regain tax-free access to crypto ETNs via Innovative Finance ISA route
Start-up Stratiphy secured approval as an Innovative Finance ISA manager, enabling UK retail investors to access 21Shares crypto ETNs within a tax-free ISA wrapper.21Shares products account for over 40% of crypto ETN market share on the London Stock Exchange, where average daily volumes have been around £6 million ($8.1 million) since October, according to the company.
2026-04-22 Source:theblock.co

Stratiphy has secured regulatory authorization as an Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA) manager in the UK, allowing the company to establish a tax-free wrapper for retail investors to hold 21Shares crypto exchange-traded notes.

The rollout allows Stratiphy users to access a range of 21Shares-listed crypto ETNs within an ISA wrapper, providing exposure to digital assets through exchange-traded instruments without direct ownership of the underlying tokens, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, Stratiphy believes the development comes at a pivotal moment for the UK digital asset market because HMRC rules, since the start of the current tax year, require crypto ETNs to be held within an IFISA rather than a traditional stocks and shares ISA. Until now, no investment platform has held authorization to offer both products in a single solution.

Two regulatory milestones preceded the launch. The Financial Conduct Authority lifted its four-year ban on retail investors buying crypto ETNs tied to bitcoin or ether in October 2025. Then, at the start of 2026, HMRC ruled that new purchases of these products could no longer be held in mainstream stocks and shares ISAs, restricting them to the IFISA wrapper instead.

"We're excited to be at the forefront of this important evolution in the UK investment landscape," Stratiphy CEO Daniel Gold said in the statement. "With regulatory changes coming into effect, investors need a simple and compliant pathway to maintain exposure to digital assets. Our IFISA approval and partnership with 21shares allow us to deliver exactly that."

21shares is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchange-traded product providers globally. Since last October, when the LSE first approved crypto ETNs for retail investors, 21shares products have captured more than 40% of market share on the venue, where trading volume has averaged approximately £6 million ($8.1 million) daily, per the statement. 


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