Bank of England and HM Treasury’s response to Digital Pound consultation: What is next?

The Financial institution of England (BoE) and HM Treasury printed a
response to their joint
session paper on 25 January 2024, setting out their evaluation of the case for a retail central financial institution digital foreign money (CBDC). The session paper, which was printed final yr in February, marked the beginning of the design section of the challenge. The
session sought suggestions from the general public on a set of design proposals for a digital pound and judged it possible {that a} digital pound could be wanted sooner or later.

Of their joint response, the BoE and HM Treasury clarifies that it stays “too early to resolve whether or not to introduce a digital pound”, however they decide that additional preparatory work is justified in order that they will reply to developments within the funds house
and “cut back materially the lead time if there’s a future resolution to introduce a digital pound”. It’s understood that upon completion of the design section, which is anticipated to be subsequent yr, the Financial institution and the Authorities will take a extra concrete resolution as
as to if to proceed to construct a digital pound or not. The joint response clarifies that “if the choice was taken to take action, a digital pound would solely be launched as soon as each Homes of Parliament had handed the related laws”. 

The BoE and HM Treasury additionally clarified their positions in a separate
response to the
Know-how Working Paper of 25 January 2024, which set out a high-level method to know-how design concerns and proposed an illustrative conceptual know-how mannequin for a digital pound. The BoE and HM Treasury set out a set of design rules,
explaining that the design proposition within the Session Paper “stays the proper foundation” for additional exploration of a digital pound through the design section. Nevertheless, additionally they acknowledge that “additional work is required to flesh out an in depth proposition”.

Though the session paper sought to supply sure assurances that measures could be put in place to make sure the general public would trust in utilizing a digital pound, it seems that respondents’ issues stay with respect to the BoE, as operator
of the digital pound infrastructure, accessing private information. Within the joint response, the BoE and HM Treasury reiterate that private-sector digital pound pockets suppliers, Fee Interface Suppliers (PIPs), “would anonymise private information earlier than transactions
are processed and settled by the Financial institution”. Additionally they repeat that they’d chorus from pursuing “authorities or central bank-initiated programmable features”. Going one step additional, they set out a spread of additional measures that may govern a digital pound,
if the choice have been made to introduce it. In a nutshell, the core design function of a digital pound could be privateness.

Accordingly, HM Treasury and the BoE specific 4 legislative and coverage commitments that the BoE and the Authorities wouldn’t have entry to customers’ private information – and laws launched by the Authorities for a digital pound would assure customers’ privateness.
As well as, the BoE has dedicated to exploring technological choices that may forestall it from accessing any private information by means of its core infrastructure. Additionally, the BoE and the Authorities wouldn’t program a digital pound – and laws launched by
the Authorities for a digital pound would assure this. Lastly, the Authorities has legislated to safeguard entry to money, guaranteeing that it could stay out there even when a digital pound have been launched.

The BoE and HM Treasury’s joint response units out the steps that can comply with through the design section. Earlier than any launch of a digital pound, the Authorities has dedicated to introducing main laws, which is anticipated to ensure customers’ privateness by
stopping the BoE from accessing any private information by means of the Financial institution’s core infrastructure. Because of this a digital pound would solely be launched as soon as each Homes of Parliament had handed the related laws. So it’s understood that, because the design section
progresses, there could be additional public session if the Authorities decides to introduce main laws sooner or later.

Responding to the issues in regards to the implications of a digital pound for entry to money, the BoE and HM Treasury additionally reminded that the Authorities has legislated to safeguard entry to money, explaining that money would stay out there even when a digital pound
have been launched. The clear message is {that a} digital pound would complement, not exchange, money. Offering reasurrances on that entrance, they clarify that the Monetary Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Fee Programs Regulator (PSR) may also participate in safeguarding
entry to money. Certainly, the Authorities legislated in 2023 to supply the FCA with powers to guard entry to money throughout the UK, and the regulator is already

consulting on the way it plans to guard entry to money.

Whereas no resolution has but been taken on whether or not to introduce a digital pound, the BoE and HM Treasury clarify that the design section includes 4 main “workstreams” together with the blueprint for a digital pound, proofs of idea, engagement with the stakeholders
and additional prices and profit evaluation. This implies that additional work on this house will deal with experimentation and proofs of idea with the personal sector, growing a blueprint for a digital pound based mostly on a set of design rules, participating with
all stakeholders on the way forward for cash, and conducting an evaluation of the prices and advantages of the digital pound.