Sarah Breeden, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England, stated at London’s City Week 2026 that the Bank of England’s future strategy will focus on tokenization to modernise UK finance. The future retail payment system should include multiple interchangeable forms of money, such as tokenised deposits, regulated stablecoins and potential retail CBDCs.

The Bank of England plans to release draft rules for systemic stablecoins next month and finalise them by the end of this year. It may also impose temporary limits on total stablecoin issuance to mitigate early‑stage risks. Breeden added that the central bank will support the responsible adoption of AI, including agent‑based payments and commercial applications. Sixteen firms are preparing to launch on the Bank‑FCA Digital Securities Sandbox from late 2026, including Euroclear, HSBC and London Stock Exchange Group.