The UK's financial regulator will allow some bitcoin-linked securities to be listed on the stock market, in a softening of its tough stance on digital assets as investors around the world snap up funds investing directly in cryptocurrencies. Issuers can apply to list notes that are linked to the bitcoin and ethereum coins on the London Stock Exchange from April 2024. ETNs are debt securities that track an underlying asset but are traded and settled through a central market entity like a stock exchange and securities depository. The news helped push bitcoin and ethereum higher. Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency, hit $72,000 for the first time while ethereum touched $4,000 for the first time since December 2021. The UK had become one of the last major markets to hold out against the trading of crypto-related securities, even though the government has been championing the country as a potential centre for digital asset markets. Regulators in other major markets have become increasingly comfortable with investors buying crypto-linked securities, as long as the securities are in a regulated product. (Source: Financial Times)