The U.K. is mulling over launching a digital pound as it remains committed to becoming a cryptocurrency hub, a government representative has indicated. British authorities should also regulate payments with stablecoins, according to the official.
United Kingdom Prepares to Begin Consultation on Digital Pound Currency
The administrative power in London is considering the introduction a digital interpretation of the public currency, Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith told lawmakers, the BBC reported. A public consultation on the attributes of a digital pound would be launched in the coming weeks, he said, speaking to the administrative Treasury Select Committee. Quoted by Reuters, he also emphasized
"The consultation is going to say this is an if and not a when. We are not fully into the inevitability of doing this."
A digital pound raises numerous public policy issues and the governance has to “ get them right, ” Griffith stated. He addressed concerns that a state- backed coin could erode sequestration, averring that its design would not allow the authorities to track individual transactions beyond measures targeting crime like money laundering.
Griffith further elaborated that the first use case for a central bank digital currency( CBDC) issued by the Bank of England would probably be in noncommercial agreements but admitted that a intimately issued, edict- backed stablecoin “ would presumably get there first. ”
“ I want to see us establish a regime, and this is within the FSMB, for the noncommercial use for payment purposes of stablecoins, ” the minister added referring to the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which is presently being batted in the British Parliament.
UK May Adopt Broader Crypto Regulations Than the EU
Andrew Griffith also revealed that another discussion will be initiated on theU.K.’s nonsupervisory approach toward crypto assets in general. While the EU has formerly agreed on a set of comprehensive rules for the market anticipated to come into force in 2024, the minister refocused out that theU.K. regulations could be indeed broader and include decentralized finance.
“ We want the right regime, operated in the right way, that has the right balances in it, ” he told the members of the commission while covenanting to hold multiple roundtables with assiduity actors as part of the conversations.
Andrew Griffith’s statements come after last year’s slump in the valuations of major cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and the following the collapse of large market players similar as crypto exchange FTX. Amid an ongoing crypto winter, consumer protection in the space has come under scrutiny, the reports noted.
(Lubomir Tassev, Bitcoin.com, 2023)