UK in strong position to be leader in crypto economy, report says | Technology | The Guardian (theguardian.com)
 Blockchain is is a digital ledger that is best known for its use with virtual currencies including bitcoin. Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters


The UK is well-placed to become a leader in blockchain technologies and the crypto economy, according to a new report.

Britain has all the required resources, as well as industrial and governmental will, to become a global hub for the technology by 2022, according to analysis by the Big Innovation Centre, DAG Global and Deep Knowledge Analytics.

Blockchain is a digital ledger that provides a secure and public way of making and recording transactions, agreements and contracts; its best-known use is bitcoin, the virtual currency.

The database is shared across a network of computers and becomes a long list of chronological transactions that have taken place since the beginning of the network.

Sean Kiernan, the chief executive of DAG Global, said the gap would close in the UK between the traditional financial system and the crypto economy.“The UK is a major global financial hub and in recent years has become a fintech leader as well.

At the same time, it is starting to demonstrate significant potential to become a leader in blockchain technologies and the crypto economy,” he said. “The gap between the two worlds of traditional finance and crypto economy remains, but in the coming years we can expect this to lessen and eventually disappear.”


The report’s authors considered the £500m-plus worth of investments into UK blockchain companies that were made in 2017-18 and concluded Britain had the potential to become a world leader in the digital and crypto economy ecosystem within the next few years. The research was carried out in coordination with the all-party parliamentary group on blockchain.

“Blockchain has been recognised by the UK parliament as a very important and disruptive technology, and it has shown commitment to support the accelerated development of the digital economy via a variety of government initiatives,” said Birgitte Andersen, chief executive of the Big Innovation Centre.

“We are still at the early stages of the blockchain industry’s development and the huge impact it undoubtedly will have in Britain and globally.”

Since you’re here…


… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. Our investigative reporting uncovers unethical behaviour and social injustice, that helps to hold governments, companies and individuals to account. Through this we can, together, create meaningful change in the world. We do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too. For as little as €1, you can support the Guardian – and it only takes a minute.

Thank you.

Support The Guardianpaypal-and-credit-card.png
    • 1
    Francisco Gimeno - BC Analyst While Brexit is in the mind of everybody in UK and the EU, blockchain can be the technology which will help them (and everyone!) to be among the developed digital economies of the next future (meaning now!). UK (at least some parts) is yet among the most interesting places to research, develop and implement solutions with blockchain and other disruptive technologies. Commitment is needed beyond politics to do this.