UK Government Should Appoint ‘Chief Blockchain Officer’ Says Parliamentary Lawmaker

UK lawmaker Eddie Hughes, a Conservative Party member of Parliament called on the government Wednesday to advance blockchain use in the public sector, arguing in a report the government should “appoint a public-facing chief blockchain officer, City A.M. reported.

In Hughes’ report, the proposed chief blockchain officer should be focusing on shaping strategy for the tech’s use in public services, with a long-term goal to reduce the government’s annual expenditure by one percent, CoinDesk reported.

In addition, the report stressed, a UK government-led blockchain strategy would be an effective way to make the country more competitive worldwide.

Currently, there are an increasing number of startups looking to advance blockchain applications in the UK under a government-regulated environment, the report said.

According to a report released by the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on Wednesday, more than 40 percent of the 29 startups accepted to the financial regulator’s fourth sandbox cohort are focusing on distributed ledger technology, or DLTs, CoinDesk reported.

As of now, however, Hughes is not the only parliament member that is pushing for blockchain use in the public sector, the report said.

– WN.com, Jack Durschlag