A question was posed to Lord Bates in parliament Monday regarding the UK’s ability to support the domestic blockchain industry in the current bear market that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are facing.
Lord Taylor of Warwick asked his colleague: “Her Majesty’s Government, what assessment have they made of reports that the value of crypto-currencies in the United States is falling, and of the potential effects that such a decline might have on the UK blockchain industry?”
Lord Bates, Minister of State at the Department for International Development responded, saying that as of yet the government has not made a formal assessment of the implication that the current market performance might bring. He added, ”However, the Government continues to monitor developments in the cryptocurrency market.”
The Cryptoassets Taskforce was pointed to by Lord Bates as evidence that the government is taking the potential risks of cryptocurrencies seriously. The taskforce comprises of members from HM Treasury, the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and members of parliament, and maintains responsibility for determining any issues that the blockchain industry might face.
A report from the Cryptoassests Taskforce is due this Autumn, and Lord Bates’s pressing question will hopefully be answered within the publishment.
A ‘balanced approach’
Last week, Bitcoin News reported that the UK’s FCA chief Andrew Bailey wants the nation to take a ”balanced approach” to the cryptocurrency industry. In a speech in London, Bailey said that the FCA is keen to explore the potentials of the underlying technology of cryptocurrency, blockchain. He told the crowd, “The FCA is firmly a supporter of innovation.”
With the UK’s largest financial regulator onside, this is promising that the UK’s growing blockchain industry will get official support, despite the poor performance of the market this year.
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