PANews reported on January 9th, citing Cointelegraph, that the UK financial regulator has set a timetable for a new cryptocurrency licensing regime, requiring companies to apply for full authorization before the framework takes effect. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stated on Thursday that crypto asset service providers (CASPs) can apply to enter the UK market starting this autumn, with the application period expected to open in September 2026, and the timetable to be confirmed in due course. Before the new regime takes effect on October 25, 2027, the FCA application channel will provide a limited window for processing applications. Under the plan, companies providing regulated crypto asset services in the UK, including those currently registered under the Anti-Money Laundering Ordinance and payment-related frameworks, will need to be authorized under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA). Companies already authorized by the FCA to engage in other regulated activities must change their existing authorizations before the new regime takes effect; crypto companies relying on other authorized companies for financial promotion activities will need direct authorization from the FCA to promote their products in the UK.
The FCA requires crypto asset servicing companies to apply within a fixed window (at least 28 days and no later than 28 days before the new regime takes effect), with applications expected to be adjudicated before the new regime comes into effect. The draft legislation includes "transitional provisions" allowing companies to apply for continued operation during the assessment period. Companies that miss the application window or are not authorized when the new regime takes effect will be subject to transitional rules, allowing them to continue operating existing products but with restrictions on launching new products. Late applicants can still apply, but the FCA warns that assessment times may be longer.

Highlights: Flora Growth announces $401M PIPE financing round aimed at establishing an AI Zero Gravity (0G) coin treasury. DeFi Development Corp. led the fundraising exercise with strong support from other companies. Flora Growth will rebrand to ZeroStack following the successful completion of the PIPE financing round. One of the world’s leading decentralised artificial intelligence (AI) treasury companies, Flora Growth, has announced the pricing of a $401 million private investment in public equity (PIPE) round. According to a September 19 press release, the move aims to fund the firm’s treasury strategy centred on AI Zero Gravity (0G) tokens. Upon completion of the PIPE round, Flora Growth will rebrand to ZeroStack, while still maintaining its current market ticker symbol, FLGC. Notably, the financing round is expected to close on or before September 26, 2025, pending customary approvals. Flora Growth Corp. (NASDAQ: FLGC) announced a $401 million PIPE financing led by Defi Development Corp., Hexstone Capital, and CSAPL. 0G Co-Founder Michael Heinrich will become Executive Chairman. The deal is expected to close on September 26. The company will adopt $0G as its… — Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) September 19, 2025 Flora Growth Announces $401M PIPE with Strong Backing from Leading Crypto Firms DeFi Development Corp. (DFDV), the first treasury firm focused on Solana (SOL), led the financing round with a $22.88 million investment. Other partners included Hexstone Capital, Dispersion Capital, Blockchain Builders Fund, Carlsberg SE Asia PTE Ltd (CSAPL), Abstract Ventures, Salt, and Dao5. The fundraising exercise has already generated $35 million in cash commitments and $366 million worth of in-kind digital assets. Flora Growth sold its common shares and pre-funded warrants to investors at $25.19 per share. The company also pegged 0G tokens contribution at $3 per coin, adding that investors paying either cash or 0G tokens will also receive pre-funded warrants, exercisable once shareholder approval is granted. A big NASDAQ company (Flora Growth) just announced they’re raising $401 million. ︎ They plan to buy and hold $0G tokens as part of their company’s savings/treasury. Flora’s deal values $0G at around $3 per token for their planned purchase. Right now $0G is trading below… pic.twitter.com/qhOa3uT5ii — Jimmywontgiveup(Ø,G) (@jimmywontgiveup) September 20, 2025 Flora Growth Plans to Hold SOL in Its Treasury Flora Growth noted that it plans to hold part of its treasury in SOL. Joseph Onorati, the CEO of DeFi Development Corp., spoke on the partnership.“We’re thrilled to partner with FLGC on this fundraiser and look forward to driving a deep collaboration between 0G and Solana,” the CEO stated. Daniel Reis-Faria, Flora Growth’s incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO), also spoke on the company’s latest initiative. He explained that the move encompasses financial restructuring and support for adopting AI infrastructures. The CEO commented: “This treasury strategy offers institutional investors equity-based exposure, enabling transparent, verifiable, large-scale, cost-efficient, and privacy-first AI development.” A Brief 0G Token Overview, Highlighting Reasons for Flora Growth’s Interest 0G is gaining significant traction, which has made experts describe the token as a breakthrough in decentralised AI. 0G’s model trained a 107 billion AI parameter model, representing a 357x improvement over Google’s DiLoCo research, challenging the idea that huge centralised data centres are needed for such projects. The 0G network proved that a decentralised network is highly effective for cost-effective computations, with transparent and privacy-first solutions. Unlike other AI blockchains, 0G integrated its computation, storage, and training marketplace into one platform, attracting Web2 and Web3 developers. In related news, Crypto2Community reported that Brera Holdings, an Ireland-based company, completed a $300 million PIPE financing round for a Solana-focused treasury on September 19. The fundraising program was led by Pulsar Group, a blockchain advisory firm based in the UAE. It received strong backing from the Solana Foundation, RockawayX, and ARK Invest. Like Flora Growth, Brera Holdings also rebranded to Solmate. eToro Platform Best Crypto Exchange Over 90 top cryptos to trade Regulated by top-tier entities User-friendly trading app 30+ million users 9.9 Visit eToro eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong.

