Crypto companies with US operations — including Wirex and B2C2 — withdrew their applications to register with a United Kingdom financial watchdog in recent months after the standards for acceptance were raised. The vast majority of crypto firms that have attempted to register with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have been denied, the agency reported this week. There are now 41 companies listed on the FCA’s cryptoasset firm registry, according to the agency — or about 15% of applicants. An FCA executive, Sarah Pritchard, in a letter earlier this month said 85% of the firms vying for the regulator’s approval ... (full story)