All-Party Parliamentary Group on Blockchain Technologies

The Blockchain All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) is a cross-party group of Members of Parliament (both House of Commons and House of Lords).

The APPG is run by its secretariat, The British Blockchain Association (BBA), a non-profit organisation established in 2017 with a vision to advance evidence-based adoption of Blockchain and Web3 technologies.

The APPG will hold regular meetings at Westminster to debate a range of topical issues, and demonstrate their importance to society and policy. The audience at the meetings is invite only. It is typically made up of MPs, Lords, relevant industry bodies, Blockchain think-tanks, regulators, academia and civil servants.

The key objectives of the Blockchain APPG are:

Inform the narrative and policy debate around Blockchain and Web3 technologies, ensuring a truthful and timely explanation of the technologies themselves and their national impacts, both domestic and abroad. The group’s collective aspiration is to build a progressive and resilient Web3 ecosystem in the UK in which the policymakers are well informed, stakeholders are engaged, and communities are thriving.

Improve Parliament’s understanding of Blockchain and Web3 technologies and its ecosystems. The APPG will hold regular meetings in Parliament with a futuristic, evidence-based agenda comprising a wide range of exploratory domains.

Bring parliamentarians together along with stakeholders from industry, public services, academia and society to facilitate informed discussions about critical issues and identify solutions that could be implemented by the government of the day.

Establish the UK as a Global Centre of Excellence in Blockchain and Web3 Technologies. The group aims to provide clarity, inspiration and guidance to build a world-class, dynamic and responsive blockchain ecosystem in the United Kingdom. The APPG will seek to make a strong collective case to further and enhance UK’s standing in the Blockchain and Web3 sector.

The role of the British Blockchain Association, as the secretariat, is to:

• Liaise with and support the Chair of the APPG and its Officers
• Produce a draft plan of APPG activities for the year ahead to recommend to the Chair
• Facilitate the APPG to hold regular meetings at Westminster.
• Implement the plan agreed by the Chair, in coordination with supporting organisations, APPG Advisory board, and the relevant working groups
• Arrange an annual AGM and ensure the parliamentary APPG register is updated, as required
• Produce an annual financial review and administer the costs of the APPG and supporting organisations
• Arrange Advisory Board and working group meetings
• Liaise with relevant stakeholders to advance the objectives of the APPG both in Westminster and the broader ecosystem

We engage with all stakeholders of the Web3 ecosystem. This includes the Government and Parliamentarians with an interest in Blockchain, businesses, industry think-tanks, civil society, universities, and other allied disciplines to advocate for policies that will make the UK a world-class hub in Blockchain technologies.

As well as covering the running costs of the APPG, supporting organisations provide, when required:

Policy support

Public affairs support

Advisory support

Other input as required for preparation activities and events

Every effort will be made by the Secretariat to evenly share these responsibilities among the supporting organisations.

We are working on a range of exploratory domains and areas of vital interest on the subject of Blockchain and Web3 technologies.

More details on these can be found here:

APPG Exploratory Domains and Work Streams

The APPG is funded by the BBA, APPG Secretariat. The BBA is supported by organisations or “sponsors” to fund all activities of the APPG. All income and expenditure reports will be produced in line with the Rules on All-Party Groups and published on the Parliamentary website.

The Secretariat will make decisions about organisations wishing to become a supporting organisation of the APPG. The Secretariat will make recommendations to the Chair of the APPG on whether the organisation supports the mission and purpose of the APPG. In making this recommendation, the Secretariat will consider if there are any reputational risks associated with the organisation funding the APPG.

No. Since Blockchain APPG receives no taxpayer funding, we must rely on external funding to meet the costs required to run a professional and effective APPG. Funds are required for research, event management and administration of the APPG via a public affairs consultancy firm which assists the Secretariat with the ongoing support for a wider stakeholder engagement strategy in Westminster.

Sponsors of the APPG have no say over the running of the group, and Advisory Board membership confers no special privileges. BBA Members can sponsor events and may be invited for professional advice.

The sponsorship funding does not influence the work of the group and participants have no influence on the terms of reference of the meetings or the outcomes of any work, which are at the sole discretion of the APPG in line with our key mission and objectives.

All funds received are declared within the accounts of The BBA and reported to the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. All monies go directly to support the activities of the group; nothing goes, or will ever go, to any officer or parliamentarian. We always seek to minimise costs to make sure our sponsors’ money is spent wisely. The British Blockchain Association is a Non-profit entity registered in England and all its annual accounts are available in the public domain.

The sponsors help to support the vital work of the APPG in ensuring that MPs and Lords have a proper forum to learn about this technology and to drive forward policy recommendations to Government. Sponsors play a key role in advising the British Blockchain Association on the overall strategic approach for the APPG including advising on key policy issues and sharing their knowledge and expertise.

However, it is important for the BBA as a Secretariat to ensure that the APPG is truly representative of the views of the wider blockchain industry, and is not seen to only represent the views of its commercial sponsors.

Therefore, as a trusted industry body with convening power to bring together relevant experts and draw on a range of voices from across the industry, the British Blockchain Association will ensure that the APPG represents the views of the entire Web3 ecosystem. The APPG will be an all-inclusive forum, open to hearing from and involving other external voices and multidisciplinary stakeholders.

We welcome suggestions of topics of emerging interest for debate at the APPG meetings. To propose a new exploratory domain, contact us at:

appg@britishblockchainassociation.org 

The membership of the APPG is open to Parliamentarians who have a passion to make a meaningful contribution to advance the mission of the group. 

If you think there is an aspect of Web3 ecosystem that is being overlooked by the APPG and you would like to discuss this further, please email us at: appg@britishblockchainassociation.org

The APPG is a non-profit organisation that receives no taxpayer funding. If you would like to sponsor the work of the APPG, please reach out to us at appg@britishblockchainassociation.org

The audience at the meetings is invite only. The Secretariat, Chair or a delegated officer must approve your invitation.

The APPG will hold regular meetings at Westminster (occasionally online) to debate a range of topical issues related to Blockchain, and demonstrate their importance to society and policy. The audience is typically made up of representatives from the secretariat (BBA), MPs, Lords, relevant industry bodies, think-tanks, regulators, academia and civil servants.

If you wish to attend an APPG meeting, please email your expression of interest at appg@britishblockchainassociation.org.