UK to Focus Regulation on Stablecoins Rather Than Crypto in General: Report

“We believe the case for intervention in the wider cryptocurrency markets is less immediately pressing,” Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen said Tuesday.

By Jamie Crawley

Mar 30, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. UTC

Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 12:33 p.m. UTC

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The U.K. will focus on regulating stablecoins rather than cryptocurrency in general, according to statements made by a treasury minister, Reuters has reported.

Speaking at a City & Financial conference Tuesday, Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen said stablecoins could pose a threat to competition.
“There is the potential for some firms to swiftly achieve dominance and crowd out other players, due to their ability to scale and plug into existing online services,” Glen said.
It is likely he was referring to a stablecoin like diem. Announced by Facebook in June 2019 as libra, the proposal was met with widespread concern from governments and central banks.
The U.K. Treasury released a consultation paper in January to gather feedback on the government’s approach to regulating stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies.

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Jamie Crawley

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