Cryptocurrencies
(asked on 6th June 2019) - View Source
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment.
This question was answered on 13th June 2019
The Government established the Cryptoassets Taskforce – comprised of HM Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England – in 2018 to explore the risks and potential benefits of cryptoassets and the underlying distributed ledger technology (DLT). The Taskforce’s final report[1] concluded that benefits associated with the use of cryptoassets may arise in the future, but that the most immediate priorities for the authorities are to mitigate the risks posed by cryptoassets to consumers and markets, and to prevent the use of cryptoassets for illicit activity. As part of this, the Government will consult on its approach to cryptoassets this year. In addition, the authorities continue to encourage the responsible development of legitimate DLT and cryptoasset-related activity in the UK.
The Government established the Cryptoassets Taskforce – comprised of HM Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England – in 2018 to explore the risks and potential benefits of cryptoassets and the underlying distributed ledger technology (DLT). The Taskforce’s final report[1] concluded that benefits associated with the use of cryptoassets may arise in the future, but that the most immediate priorities for the authorities are to mitigate the risks posed by cryptoassets to consumers and markets, and to prevent the use of cryptoassets for illicit activity. As part of this, the Government will consult on its approach to cryptoassets this year. In addition, the authorities continue to encourage the responsible development of legitimate DLT and cryptoasset-related activity in the UK.
[1] Full version of the report is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/752070/cryptoassets_taskforce_final_report_final_web.pdf