The Bank of England could approve its own bitcoin-style digital currency within the next year, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose. A Bank of England-issued digital currency could allow British citizens to keep their money - in digital form - with the central bank itself, dispensing with the need for a retail bank..
The bank has been trialling technology for digital transactions, using the same methods that underpin Bitcoins and other crypto-currencies. The volatility - and apparent popularity - of bitcoin will intensify pressure on the Bank of England to make a decision on an alternative digital currency of its own..
Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, told the Treasury select committee before Christmas that he had held talks with other central banks about launching digital currency. The bank carried out a successful test of a new digital payment method - called "distributed ledger" or "blockchain" technology - in the summer, that demonstrated the viability of making payments between two central banks..
Dr George Danezis, who is working on the RSCoin at University College London, suggested that digital currency would make it far easier for central banks to control the money supply. Mr Carney would prefer a restriction on the use of digital currency - should the Bank agree it - to transactions between central banks..
http://www.afr.com/technology/bank-of-england-may-issue-its-own-bitcoin-20171231-h0bskf