UK plans first G7 digital sovereign bond by early 2027

Finance UK plans first G7 digital sovereign bond by early 2027 The security will launch on HSBC’s Orion platform within the BoE and FCA’s Digital Securities Sandbox to test reduced settlement times and costs. By Francisco Rodrigues | Edited by Sheldon Reback Jul 15, 2026, 8:16 a.m. 1 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves. (Yui Mok/WPA Pool/Getty Images) Summary Show The U.K. plans to issue its first digital sovereign bond by early 2027, becoming the first G7 nation to place government debt on a distributed ledger. The gilt will list on HSBC’s Orion platform within the BoE and FCA’s Digital Securities Sandbox to test reduced settlement times and costs. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said the bank plans to make the bond eligible as collateral in market operations, enabling banks to use it in central bank funding transactions. The U.K. plans to issue a digital sovereign bond by early 2027, becoming the first of the seven leading industrialized nations to place government debt on a distributed-ledger infrastructure. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the timeline in her annual Mansion House speech to industry leaders. The government plans further issuance after the initial sale. The Digital Gilt Instrument, known as DIGIT, will be a sterling-denominated government security issued on HSBC’s Orion platform and will operate inside the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority’s Digital Securities Sandbox. The Treasury announced the pilot in 2024 to test whether blockchain infrastructure could reduce settlement times, reconciliation work and operating costs. HSBC was appointed to run the platform in February, having issued over $3.5 billion in digital bonds through its Orion blockchain. Speaking at the same event, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said the central bank will work to make DIGIT eligible as collateral in its market operations. That could support tokenized repo and allow banks to use the bond in central bank funding transactions. The Treasury has not disclosed the bond’s size, maturity, coupon, investor eligibility or settlement asset. The initial sale will sit outside the government’s conventional gilt-financing program. UK Latest Crypto News 1 Visa, Mastercard and Ripple back x402 as agent payments average 32 cents 2 hours ago 2 Bitcoin nears $65,000 as cooling U.S. inflation guts the Fed rate-hike trade 2 hours ago 3 U.S. CFTC moves to stop Kalshi from canceling trades as ordered by Michigan court 11 hours ago 4 Some U.S. Senate Democrats come out against Clarity Act, calling it a 'corrupt' bill 13 hours ago 5 Binance bets on becoming a crypto 'super app' as stablecoins reshape growth 14 hours ago 6 The Clarity Act isn't a ticket to sanctions evasion, actually 14 hours ago 7 Mizuho downgrades Circle to underperform, cuts price target to $50 on Open USD threat 15 hours ago 8 Wikipedia blackout could hurt how AI engines like ChatGPT understand crypto 15 hours ago 9 U.S., UK move to align rules for tokenized finance across world's largest financial markets 15 hours ago 10 JPMorgan says Hyperliquid's rise threatens Circle's USDC economics 17 hours ago Latest Research Gate Leads Spot Market Share Gains as CEX Volumes Rise for First Time in Five Months Gate Leads Spot Market Share Gains as CEX Volumes Rise for First Time in Five Months CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B. By CoinDesk Research Jul 13, 2026 CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B. Why it matters : CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B. View Full Report More From Finance Binance bets on becoming a crypto 'super app' as stablecoins reshape growth Mizuho downgrades Circle to underperform, cuts price target to $50 on Open USD threat JPMorgan says Hyperliquid's rise threatens Circle's USDC economics