TO BE PUBLISHED May 2025
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Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This conference will examine the future for digital and cryptoassets within the UK, focusing on recent legislative developments and strategies for widening adoption of crypto technologies.
It will be an opportunity for key stakeholders and policymakers to assess implications of the Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill currently progressing through Parliament, and to discuss next steps for the ownership of cryptoassets following the Law Commission's Digital Assets: Final Report, published in June 2023.
Policy and international context
Delegates will discuss proposals for the future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets published by HM Treasury in 2023, and options for their implementation, with the FCA having set out their Crypto Roadmap in November 2024.
Further sessions explore the way forward for widening adoption and application of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies in mainstream financial markets. Delegates will assess opportunities for unlocking efficiencies in the payments ecosystem, how singular use cases can be expanded, and priorities for policy and regulation in fostering innovation.
It will also be an opportunity to discuss the UK’s regulatory position within international context, with the EU Markets in Crypto-assets regulation having come into full force in December 2024. Delegates will consider options for international harmonisation and explore implications of regulatory and policy divergence from the EU and US, with the White House announcing the establishment of a strategic bitcoin reserve in March 2025.
Regulation and clarity
As the FCA expands its regulatory regime for cryptoassets, delegates will discuss next steps for the design of trading platform and lending rules, as well as strategies for tackling market abuse, and the way forward for an industry-led admissions and disclosures regime.
Discussion will also focus on priorities for the regulation of stablecoins, with a consultation expected from the FCA in the first half of 2025.
Strategies for increasing regulatory certainty - and clarity in distinguishing between stable and speculative assets - will be discussed, as well as what industry and investors need to support innovation, and priorities for promoting competition and choice.
Attendees will examine key considerations for businesses, investors, and users if a sustainable and safe cryptoasset sector is to be developed and sustained. The agenda will also explore the future relationship between financial institutions and digital asset firms, and wider factors affecting the potential for growth in the sector.
Ownership and legal recognition
Delegates will consider the recognition of digital assets as personal property, including potential challenges this presents, such as enforcement difficulties and the need for technological advancements to ensure asset integrity.
Infrastructure and security
The future role of infrastructure providers in the crypto and wider digital ecosystem will be examined, with discussion on enhancing privacy and security architectures, and the role of tokenisation in cyber security management. Delegates will also consider consumer risks and priorities for mitigating against financial and digital exclusion.
Development of the proposed Digital Pound will also be discussed, including strategies for its design and potential adoption, looking at addressing privacy concerns highlighted in responses to the Digital Pound Consultation Paper in January 2024.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include officials from Defra; Dstl; DHSC; DBT; DfT; DfC, NI; HM Treasury; HMRC; NCA; Ofcom; Home Office; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
