Industry leaders are urging the UK government to fully embrace digital assets and blockchain technology as part of its growing tech partnership with the United States, warning that leaving them out would be a major missed opportunity.

In a letter addressed to UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle, several major trade groups pushed for distributed ledger technology (DLT) to be a key part of the UK-US Tech Bridge. This partnership aims to boost cooperation between the two countries in cutting-edge sectors like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space tech, quantum computing, biotechnology, and digital finance.

The groups argue that including DLT and crypto in this agreement would allow both nations to set global standards for digital finance, improve cross-border collaboration, and help businesses stay ahead in the rapidly evolving financial landscape. Without it, they warned, the UK risks falling behind other regions such as Asia and the Middle East that are already moving forward in these areas.

The signatories include a broad range of organizations from the finance, payments, and crypto industries. Among them are Global Digital Finance, Crypto Council for Innovation, The Payments Association, techUK, UK Finance, TheCityUK, and the City of London Corporation. These groups represent a wide spectrum of expertise in digital assets, fintech, and financial markets.

According to the letter, blockchain-based technology is transforming how money moves. It enables faster and cheaper transactions, opens up financial access to more people, and improves efficiency across the financial system. They also pointed out that tokenization and stablecoins are becoming central tools in this shift.

With London already handling nearly 40% of the world’s foreign exchange transactions and the U.S. home to the largest capital markets globally, the two countries are uniquely positioned to lead the development of global digital finance standards.

“This is a once-in-a-generation chance,” the letter stated. “By working together, the UK and U.S. can build the first international framework for blockchain technology and shape how digital economies will operate around the world.”

The letter also emphasized that excluding digital assets from this partnership would leave the UK on the sidelines while other nations take the lead in setting future financial rules. Instead, they called on the government to follow through on its promise to create a shared regulatory sandbox with the U.S., which would allow companies in both countries to test new technologies under real-world conditions.

The timing of this push is significant. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled for a rare second state visit to the UK from September 17 to 19. The invitation was extended by King Charles and coordinated by Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year during a trade discussion in Washington.

Back in April, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington and expressed a strong interest in collaborating on crypto regulation. Reeves said that Britain aims to become a global hub for digital asset innovation by introducing clear rules for crypto services like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

“Clear regulations will give investors confidence and help grow the economy,” Reeves said at the time.

Now, with momentum building on both sides of the Atlantic, industry leaders believe it’s time to turn that ambition into action. They’re offering their support to help the UK make it happen—and ensure it doesn’t get left behind.