HL Offers Bitcoin and Ethereum ETNs to Eligible UK Clients

Hargreaves Lansdown, one of the UK's largest investment platforms, has started offering nine Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded notes (ETNs) to eligible clients through its Advanced Investing service. The move comes after a regulatory change in October 2025 that reopened retail access to qualifying crypto ETNs in the UK.

The nine ETNs are linked to various issuers, including iShares, WisdomTree, 21Shares, Invesco, CoinShares, and Bitwise, with annual product charges ranging from 0% to 0.35%. The platform has implemented a more guarded approach to crypto products by requiring clients to meet Advanced Investing requirements instead of buying the notes through a standard retail dealing journey.

Under Hargreaves Lansdown's terms, UK-domiciled clients must self-certify as advanced investors, pass an appropriateness assessment, and complete a 24-hour cooling-off period before they can trade crypto ETNs. The platform has also excluded these products from its mainstream Stocks and Shares ISA accounts.

The rollout follows Hargreaves Lansdown's earlier position that crypto ETN trading would be offered only to appropriate clients after additional safeguards were added. The platform's use of Advanced Investing safeguards reflects its distinction between Bitcoin exposure and conventional investments.