US and UK Reveal Digital Asset Plan to Modernize Finance

Regulators Expand Their Transatlantic Digital Asset Agenda

The U.S. Department of the Treasury published a joint statement on Aug. 4 summarizing discussions from the July 8 U.S.-U.K. Financial Regulatory Working Group meeting in London. The statement outlined coordinated efforts to advance crypto regulation, payment modernization, financial stability, and capital-market reforms across both jurisdictions, clarifying shared transatlantic regulatory priorities.

Senior representatives included officials from both Treasury departments, the Bank of England, the Federal Reserve, the Financial Conduct Authority, and several U.S. financial regulators. Digital assets formed a central part of the discussions alongside payment modernization, financial stability, artificial intelligence, capital markets, banking supervision, and cross-border financial cooperation.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury stated:

“Authorities provided updates on their respective regulatory regimes for digital assets, including stablecoins, as well as on their work to modernize payment services more broadly.”

The Treasury added: “U.S. authorities provided an update on implementing the GENIUS Act for stablecoins and on digital asset market structure.”

British officials outlined their Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy, including Christopher Woolard CBE’s appointment as the United Kingdom’s Wholesale Digital Markets Champion.

The talks preceded recommendations from the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, which were published July 14. Those recommendations seek to reduce unnecessary cross-border friction, improve supervisory cooperation, expand capital raising, and clarify regulatory treatment for tokenized financial activity.

Crypto Rules Move Toward Comparable Standards

Both governments have endorsed regulatory approaches designed to support digital money while protecting consumers, market confidence, and financial stability. Their joint statement on stablecoins supports cross-border use, comparable treatment of similar risks, and reserves of at least one-to-one high-quality, liquid assets for stablecoins presented as money.

Stablecoins are digital assets designed to maintain a stable value, typically by holding reserves linked to fiat currencies or other assets. Their growing role in payments, trading, and settlement has placed them at the center of regulatory efforts in major financial markets.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has proposed GENIUS Act implementation standards covering reserves, redemptions, capital, liquidity, risk management, custody, and safekeeping. Related requirements would move U.S. policy from legislative authorization toward operational rules for regulated payment stablecoin issuers.

That transition includes proposed one-to-one eligible reserves and redemption standards intended to support predictable access to customer funds. The FDIC’s framework for bank stablecoin issuers also includes a two-business-day redemption expectation and supervisory requirements covering financial and operational risks.

Tokenization Draws Major Financial Institutions

British authorities are developing a unified approach to tokenized wholesale markets, where blockchain-based records can represent securities, deposits, collateral, and other financial instruments. The United Kingdom’s vision for tokenized markets targets improved post-trade processing, collateral mobility, market efficiency, and interoperability across financial infrastructure.

Large financial institutions are already participating in that transition through a 54-company industry initiative involving Blackrock, JPMorgan, exchanges, asset managers, and technology providers. The United Kingdom’s institutional tokenization task force is examining commercial applications and regulatory conditions for digital securities, tokenized funds, and blockchain-based settlement.

Digital Payments and Systemic Stablecoins Take Shape

Payment policy remains another central component of the bilateral agenda, with officials supporting regulated private digital money across international markets. The countries’ shared approach to cross-border digital payments seeks to limit regulatory fragmentation while allowing competition among stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and other payment instruments.

The Bank of England has published draft requirements for stablecoins that could operate at systemic scale within the British economy. Its framework includes a temporary £40 billion issuance guardrail for each systemic stablecoin, unrestricted use by individuals and businesses, and reserve requirements.

Officials expect the Financial Regulatory Working Group to reconvene in early 2027, continuing the biannual dialogue established in 2018. Future sessions will cover regulatory cooperation, investor protection, capital formation, financial stability, and the development of fair, orderly, and efficient markets.