Changeflow GovPing Legislation Child Trust Funds (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Priority review Rule Amended Final

Child Trust Funds (Amendment) Regulations 2026

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Published April 6th, 2026
Detected March 11th, 2026
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Summary

The UK Treasury has issued the Child Trust Funds (Amendment) Regulations 2026, effective April 6, 2026. These regulations amend the 2004 regulations to restrict UK cryptoasset exchange traded notes from being qualifying investments in Child Trust Funds, with exceptions for existing holdings.

What changed

The UK Treasury has issued the Child Trust Funds (Amendment) Regulations 2026, which amend the principal regulations from 2004. Effective April 6, 2026, the regulations introduce a definition for "UK cryptoasset exchange traded note" and stipulate that these notes are generally not qualifying investments for Child Trust Fund accounts. However, an exception is made for notes that were already held in an account immediately before the effective date and qualified under the previous rules.

Regulated entities, particularly those managing Child Trust Funds, must update their investment eligibility criteria to reflect these changes. While existing holdings of UK cryptoasset exchange traded notes are grandfathered, new investments of this type are prohibited. Compliance officers should review their investment policies and ensure systems are updated to prevent the acceptance of new UK cryptoasset exchange traded notes into Child Trust Fund accounts from April 6, 2026.

What to do next

  1. Update investment eligibility criteria for Child Trust Funds to exclude new UK cryptoasset exchange traded notes.
  2. Review existing Child Trust Fund holdings to identify any UK cryptoasset exchange traded notes.
  3. Ensure systems and processes prevent the acceptance of new UK cryptoasset exchange traded notes into Child Trust Fund accounts from April 6, 2026.

Source document (simplified)

Status:

This is the original version (as it was originally made). This item of legislation is currently only available in its original format.

Statutory Instruments

2026 No. 250

CHILD TRUST FUNDS

The Child Trust Funds (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Made

9th March 2026

Laid before Parliament

10th March 2026

Coming into force

6th April 2026

The Treasury make these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 3(5) and 28(2) and (3) of the Child Trust Funds Act 2004(1).

Citation and commencement

  1. These Regulations may be cited as the Child Trust Funds (Amendment) Regulations 2026 and come into force on 6th April 2026.

Amendment of the Child Trust Funds Regulations 2004

  1. —(1) The Child Trust Funds Regulations 2004(2) are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 2 (interpretation), in paragraph (1), in sub-paragraph (c), after the definition of “recognised UCITS” insert—

“ “ UK cryptoasset exchange traded note ” means a debt security—

(a) which is traded on a trading venue or a market operated by a United Kingdom recognised investment exchange,

(b) which features no periodic coupon payments, and

(c) whose return tracks the performance of an unregulated transferable cryptoasset, minus applicable fees, whether featuring delta 1, inverse or leveraged exposure or other exposure to the unregulated transferable cryptoasset being tracked.

In this definition, the expressions “debt security” (3), “trading venue” (4), “recognised investment exchange” (5) and “unregulated transferable cryptoasset” (6) have the meanings given in the Glossary of the Financial Conduct Authority Handbook as in effect on 8th October 2025 (7); ”.

(3) In regulation 12 (qualifying investments for an account)—

(a) in paragraph (2), at the beginning of sub-paragraph (b) insert “subject to paragraphs (2F) and (2G),”;

(b) after paragraph (2E) insert—

“ (2F) A UK cryptoasset exchange traded note is not a qualifying investment for an account for the purposes of paragraph (2)(b).

(2G) Notwithstanding paragraph (2F), investments which—

(a) immediately before 6th April 2026—

(i) were held under an account, and

(ii) were qualifying investments for an account by virtue of being UK cryptoasset exchange traded notes falling under paragraph (2)(b), and

(b) ceased to be qualifying investments for an account for the purposes of paragraph (2)(b) on the coming into force of paragraph (2F),

are to be treated, for as long as they are so held, as qualifying investments for an account. ”.

Gen Kitchen

Taiwo Owatemi

Two of the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury

9th March 2026

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Child Trust Funds Regulations 2004 (“ the principal Regulations ”).

Regulation 2(2) inserts a definition of “UK cryptoasset exchange traded note” into regulation 2(1)(c) of the principal Regulations.

Regulation 2(3) amends regulation 12 of the principal Regulations so that UK cryptoasset exchange traded notes are not qualifying investments unless they were held under an account immediately before 6th April 2026.

A Tax Information and Impact Note covering this instrument will be published on the website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-information-and-impact-notes-tiins.

(1) 2004 c. 6.

(2) S.I. 2004/1450; relevantly amended by S.I. 2010/582, 2020/29, 2024/1023 and 2025/738.

(3) This definition can be accessed on the Financial Conduct Authority website at https://handbook.fca.org.uk/glossary/G3645c?timeline=true&date=08-10-2025.

(4) This definition can be accessed on the Financial Conduct Authority website at https://handbook.fca.org.uk/glossary/G2439?timeline=true&date=08-10-2025.

(5) This definition can be accessed on the Financial Conduct Authority website at https://handbook.fca.org.uk/glossary/G1034?timeline=true&date=08-10-2025.

(6) This definition can be accessed on the Financial Conduct Authority website at https://handbook.fca.org.uk/glossary/G3407u?timeline=true&date=08-10-2025.

(7) Paper copies of the defined expressions are available for inspection at: His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, 100 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2BQ.

Source

Analysis generated by AI. Source diff and links are from the original.

Classification

Agency
Various UK Agencies
Published
April 6th, 2026
Instrument
Rule
Legal weight
Binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Substantive

Who this affects

Applies to
Financial advisers Fund managers Investors
Geographic scope
UK

Taxonomy

Primary area
Financial Services
Operational domain
Compliance
Topics
Child Savings Cryptoassets Investment Regulations

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