TLDR
UK regulators plan to extend core payment and settlement systems toward near 24/7 operation to make tokenized assets and payments work at scale.
- The Bank of England and FCA propose longer RTGS/CHAPS hours, including weekends, with a staged move toward near 24/7 settlement to support tokenized markets.
- This is part of a wider shared vision where tokenized securities, stablecoins and tokenized deposits are treated much like traditional assets, but with upgraded infrastructure.
- Key dates run from 2027 to 2031, so the change is structural rather than immediate, with consultations now shaping how friendly the UK becomes to on-chain finance.
Deep Dive
1. What Is Actually Changing?
The Bank of England has proposed adding weekend and extended daily operating hours to its Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system and the CHAPS high-value payment system, with the goal of near 24/7 availability over time. This would move beyond current weekday business hours so that settlement windows better match global and on-chain activity, especially cross-border flows and tokenized markets.
Detail from a consultation summary suggests a phased path: weekday hours extended to around 1:30 am from 2027, Sunday and holiday settlement before 2029, and a 22-hour daily window targeted by 2031, aligning with the broader near-24/7 settlement plan described in a recent tokenization settlement proposal.
tokenized trades, stablecoin payments and collateral moves will be less constrained by UK banking hours, which reduces stuck positions between chains and traditional rails.
2. Why It Matters For Tokenization And Crypto
Regulators explicitly link the extended hours to tokenization. The FCA and Bank of England say tokenization - putting assets like bonds, equities and funds on distributed ledgers - can transform wholesale markets by changing how assets are issued, traded and settled, but it needs almost-always-on settlement infrastructure to work properly.
Alongside the hours change, the Digital Securities Sandbox is already running with 16 firms testing live issuance and settlement of tokenized assets, and a new synchronization service is planned for 2028 to connect RTGS with tokenized collateral and other ledgers, as outlined in the joint tokenization roadmap. The Prudential Regulation Authority also says tokenized instruments should generally be regulated like their traditional equivalents when legal rights and risks match, which is important for institutional comfort.
3. Timelines And What To Watch Next
This is a multi year build out, not an overnight flip. Feedback on the tokenization and settlement consultations runs into mid 2026, with a formal roadmap and responses expected later that year. Operationally, the first big change is the extension of weekday settlement hours around 2027, followed by Sunday/holiday settlement and then near 22 hour days around 2031.
In parallel, the UK is finalizing a stablecoin and tokenized payments framework, with authorities preparing to accept applications from systemic stablecoin issuers and to create a single regime for traditional and tokenized payments. For crypto users, the key signals will be: which stablecoins and banks get UK approval, which tokenized bonds or funds actually launch, and how quickly RTGS/CHAPS usage lines up with tokenized collateral flows.
if the UK follows through, London could become a major hub for institutional tokenization, with smoother movement between on-chain assets, stablecoins and traditional payment rails.
Conclusion
Extending payment and settlement hours is the plumbing change that lets tokenized assets, stablecoins and cross-border crypto payments operate closer to always on reality. The UK is using consultations and sandboxes to align regulation, infrastructure and prudential rules, so the real impact will show over the next five years as specific tokenized instruments, GBP stablecoins and near-continuous RTGS access go live.
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