Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate the use of new crypto-currencies created by large technology companies; and what steps they are taking to protect private financial information in that sector.

The Government does not comment on details of the proposed business models of individual companies. However, large technology companies developing cryptoassets clearly raises wider questions for policy and financial regulation. The Government is working with the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority and international counterparts to consider these issues.

More broadly, the Government established the Cryptoassets Taskforce^[1] to explore the risks and potential benefits of cryptoassets and consider the appropriate response. The Taskforce’s report set out commitments to further consider the regulatory approach to cryptoassets. The Government will consult on its approach to unregulated cryptoassets later this year.

The Government takes the protection and privacy of personal data extremely seriously. All organisations, especially the biggest global tech firms who process private financial data containing personal information, must comply with the GDPR and the UK's Data Protection Act 2018, which poses strict obligations on organisations to ensure that UK citizen's data is stored safely and securely.

[1] Comprised of HM Treasury, the FCA, and the Bank of England