London ¨C British finance minister Rishi Sunak told the Bank of England on Monday to look at the case for a new ¡°Britcoin,¡± or central bank-backed digital currency, aimed at tackling some of the challenges posed by cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
A BoE-backed digital version of sterling would potentially allow businesses and consumers to hold accounts directly with the bank and to sidestep others when making payments, upending the lenders¡¯ role in the financial system.
¡°We¡¯re launching a new taskforce between the Treasury and the Bank of England to coordinate exploratory work on a potential central bank digital currency (CBDC),¡± Sunak told a financial industry conference.
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