DAW24: BoE Exec Says “We Have Low Risk Appetite” and Sandbox Provides Regulated Environment

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Tanzeel Akhtar

Journalist

Tanzeel Akhtar

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Tanzeel Akhtar has been covering the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector since 2015. She has written for the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CoinDesk, Bitcoin Magazine and Bitcoin.com.

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Last updated: 

October 2, 2024

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Digital Assets Week 2024 (DAW24) kicks off today in London, focusing on the integration of digital assets within the global financial system.

As a leading financial hub in Europe, the UK is taking a slow and measured effort to play a critical role in shaping the future of digital assets and regulation.

Sasha Mills, executive director for financial market infrastructure at the Bank of England (BOE) speaking at DAW24 in London today, said the bank is actively engaging with the FinTech sector to facilitate innovation in digital assets and payments. She emphasized the importance of maintaining financial stability and stressed the BoE has a low-risk appetite.

Earlier this week, the BoE and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched the Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS) to foster innovation in the evolving world of digital assets.

The initiative is designed to provide a regulated environment where firms can test new digital asset ideas and integrate them into the traditional financial services infrastructure.

The Digital Securities Sandbox will allow participants to experiment with technologies like blockchain, tokenization, and digital securities, which have the potential to revolutionize financial markets.

Crypto Grabs Headlines but Underlying Tech More Important

The DSS is part of the UK’s broader efforts to remain at the forefront of financial tech making sure the financial sector can capitalize on the benefits of digital assets while minimizing risks. The DSS is expected to accelerate the adoption of new technologies, helping the UK maintain its status as a global financial hub.

“When people ask me how governments and regulators keep up with the breakneck speed of innovation in the industry around digital assets, I immediately think of the DSS, as one of the most exciting areas of innovation in finance is how assets are being recorded and traded,” said Mill.

“While unlike crypto which has grabbed the headlines. To me, it’s the developments in the underlying technologies, including blockchains and programmable ledgers, that maybe, well, will have a lasting impact on supporting financial markets and growth,” added Mills.

The BoE exec stressed that the DSS will provide a “regulated live environment for innovators to create and trade digital securities so that opportunities created by this innovation can be maximized in a way that keeps our financial system safe.”

BoE Experiments With wCBDC

Recently, the BoE has announced plans to conduct a series of experiments with distributed ledger technology (DLT) and wholesale central bank digital currencies (wCBDC).

This initiative seeks to keep pace with the evolving payments landscape by evaluating the benefits and risks of developing financial technologies.