UK industry groups are calling on the government to include blockchain in a forthcoming “Tech Bridge” agreement with the United States, warning that exclusion could weaken Britain’s role in setting global financial standards.
Bloomberg reported the appeal ahead of President Donald Trump’s state visit.
UK Lobby Groups Step Up Pressure
In a letter to Business Secretary Peter Kyle dated Thursday, a coalition of a dozen trade bodies representing finance, technology, and crypto urged that distributed ledger technology sit as a “core strand” of the UK-US Tech Bridge. The groups also sent the letter to Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby, who oversees the government’s crypto approach.
“Excluding digital assets from the UK-US Tech Bridge would be a missed opportunity,” the letter said. “It risks leaving Britain on the sidelines while others — particularly in the Middle East and Asia — move ahead in setting the standards that will shape the future of finance.”
Trump has embraced digital assets in his second term and will travel with a delegation of tech leaders, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.
The Financial Times reported the pact will outline complementary partnerships across artificial intelligence and quantum computing. A UK government spokesperson called the US and UK “natural partners” while declining to comment on “any hypothetical announcements.”
Stablecoins And Tokenization Move To The Fore
In their letter, the groups flagged stablecoins and tokenization as strategically important for both economies. Tokenization maps assets such as bonds or bank deposits onto blockchain ledgers, which can compress settlement cycles and widen investor access.
Stablecoins, typically pegged to fiat and backed by liquid reserves, continue to push into mainstream finance.
The UK has begun to fill in its rulebook. In April, HM Treasury published the Cryptoassets Order 2025 to bring exchanges, custodians, and issuers into the Financial Services and Markets Act perimeter.
The Financial Conduct Authority has launched consultations on licensing for stablecoin issuance and crypto custody, and it also outlined a prudential regime for crypto firms covering capital and conduct.
Parliament is considering the Property (Digital Assets etc) Bill, which would recognize crypto as property and expand supervision to custody and lending. Together, these measures aim to give legal certainty while aligning the UK with emerging global standards.
What’s At Stake In The Tech Bridge
The lobby groups see the bilateral pact as a chance to align standards with Washington at a pivotal moment. In July, Trump signed landmark US legislation for fiat-backed stablecoins, giving issuers a federal framework. Without comparable clarity, supporters argue, the UK could lose ground to the US, the EU’s MiCA regime, and pilots in Asia and the Middle East.
Global bodies continue to press for modernization. The Financial Stability Board has called for cheaper, faster cross-border payments, noting average fees of 6.4% for a $200 transfer. The Bank for International Settlements has argued that stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and central bank digital currencies will likely coexist, which raises the premium on interoperability and shared safeguards.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged in 2022 to make Britain a “global hub for cryptoasset technology,” yet a comprehensive regime remains in progress. That gap helps explain the current push: the groups warn that, without coordination, UK firms could face “fragmented regulatory environments, reduced access to deep transatlantic markets, and increasing competitive pressures.”
Industry media have also chronicled domestic headwinds. BeInCrypto reported that tax rules due in 2026 will require platforms to report customer data to HMRC under the OECD’s Cryptoasset Reporting Framework, adding compliance and privacy concerns. Another analysis reported that restrictions on retail access to crypto-linked exchange-traded notes slowed adoption, though the FCA plans to revisit those limits.
For now, the Tech Bridge remains a test of the UK’s ambition to shape digital-asset standards rather than import them. Including blockchain would align London with Washington’s policy turn and signal that Britain intends to compete on the rails of tokenization and programmable money—not watch from the sidelines.
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