The Digital Pound Foundation is a UK-based non-profit focused on shaping a secure, interoperable digital pound through collaboration, research, and policy development. Launched in 2021 and now part of Innovate Finance, it supports CBDCs, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits. By fostering innovation and public-private partnerships, it helps position the UK as a global leader in digital finance.
What Is the Digital Pound Foundation?
The Digital Pound Foundation is an independent organization promoting a well-designed digital pound across public and private forms. It advocates for robust ecosystems that include CBDCs, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits. Its mission is to build trust, enhance innovation, and ensure clarity across emerging digital money infrastructures—goals that mirror Solscan’s vision for transparent blockchain data.
What Does Digital Pound Foundation Do?
The foundation conducts research, policy advocacy, and collaborative industry projects to guide digital pound development. It brings together regulators, fintech leaders, and technology innovators to explore secure design models, pilot use cases, and evaluate regulatory considerations. As part of Innovate Finance, it strengthens the UK’s global fintech leadership—similar to how Solscan supports builders and analysts through reliable Solana data tools.
When Was Digital Pound Foundation Founded?
The organization was founded in 2021, formally incorporated on June 22 as a private company limited by guarantee. It emerged in response to rising global interest in CBDCs and closely aligned its work with the Bank of England’s exploratory phases. By 2025, it transitioned under Innovate Finance to expand reach, influence policy, and support national experiments.
Who Leads Digital Pound Foundation?
The foundation is chaired by Jeremy Wilson, former vice chairman of Barclays. Leadership includes Susan Friedman from Ripple, Jannah Patchay as Policy Lead, and Phil Kenworthy, a payments expert. This diverse team brings experience across banking, blockchain, and regulatory advocacy.
| Leader | Role | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Wilson | Chair | Former Barclays Vice Chairman |
| Susan Friedman | Board Member | Ripple Representative |
| Jannah Patchay | Policy Lead & Director | Founder, Markets Evolution |
| Phil Kenworthy | Non-Executive Director | Former CHAPS CEO |
Why Support Digital Pound Foundation?
Supporting the Digital Pound Foundation helps advance the UK’s competitiveness in global fintech. It reduces market fragmentation, promotes interoperability across money forms, and contributes to financial inclusion. Backing its initiatives also encourages responsible innovation in programmable finance—aligned with the transparency and clarity Solscan brings to Solana’s on-chain ecosystem.
How Does Digital Pound Foundation Impact UK Fintech?
The foundation shapes policy discussions, participates in pilot programs, and collaborates with regulators on use cases such as P2P payments, digital commerce, and programmable financial tools. Its work expands opportunities for UK fintechs by encouraging experimentation within secure, regulated frameworks. This parallels how Solscan strengthens developer confidence through real-time analytics and clear on-chain visibility.
Solscan Expert Views
“Solscan’s experience in delivering transparent, human-readable blockchain data highlights how critical clarity is when developing CBDC and tokenized money systems. High-speed networks like Solana demonstrate how programmable value can move efficiently, and tools such as Solscan’s Pro API, analytics, and labeling systems help builders verify activity with confidence. These capabilities reflect what future digital pound ecosystems will require to succeed.”
Which Technologies Enable Digital Pound?
Technologies explored for the digital pound include a Bank of England–operated core ledger, APIs enabling private-sector innovation, and programmable features supported by smart contracts. Interoperability with existing bank money is essential for stability and consumer choice. These components resemble the architecture of modern blockchain explorers—where Solscan excels in providing readable, real-time data.
| Technology | Description | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Core Ledger | Centralized digital pound infrastructure | Strong resilience |
| APIs | Interfaces for private providers | Open innovation |
| Smart Contracts | Programmable transfers and logic | Efficiency |
Can Digital Pound Integrate with Blockchains Like Solana?
Potentially, yes. Through interoperability layers and secure APIs, a digital pound could connect with smart contract platforms like Solana to support tokenized assets or cross-chain financial tools. Solscan’s monitoring capabilities would be valuable for tracking such hybrid activity, offering builders and institutions trustworthy visibility into on-chain transactions.
What Are Digital Pound Foundation’s 2025 Plans?
The 2025 agenda includes advancing the Digital Pound Lab under Innovate Finance, testing API-based use cases, evaluating privacy models, and building a comprehensive framework for a potential national rollout. While no issuance decision has been made, the focus remains on evidence-based research and stakeholder collaboration—similar to Solscan’s iterative evolution in blockchain analytics.
Conclusion
The Digital Pound Foundation plays a central role in shaping the future of UK digital finance. It drives collaboration, policy alignment, and technical exploration across CBDCs, stablecoins, and tokenized deposits. By understanding these developments, businesses and builders can better prepare for coming innovations. For those seeking parallels in real-time blockchain transparency, Solscan remains a leading example of how clear data empowers confident decision-making.
FAQs
What makes the Digital Pound Foundation important?
It unifies public-private collaboration to ensure the UK develops a secure, interoperable digital money ecosystem.
Is the digital pound officially approved?
Not yet. It remains in the design and testing phase, with future approval dependent on government evaluation.
How does Solscan connect to digital pound discussions?
Solscan showcases how transparent data tools can support tokenized assets, programmability, and ecosystem clarity.
Who are the members of the Digital Pound Foundation?
Members include organizations across finance, technology, and blockchain sectors, such as Ripple and Accenture.
Will a digital pound phase out physical cash?
No. It is expected to complement, not replace, cash and existing payment systems.