UK Treasury Is Looking for CBDC Head As It Explores Digital Pound

A new LinkedIn job posting from the U.K. Treasury is seeking a "Head of Central Bank Digital Currency."

"The successful candidate will be responsible for leadership of HM Treasury’s work on a potential digital pound – a U.K. central bank digital currency (CBDC)," reads the posting.

The CBDC chief will lead the Treasury team as it works with the Bank of England on the government's soon to be issued consultation on the digital pound, the listing continues. This role will fit into the existing Payments and Fintech Team and is a separate from the current head of crypto-assets and digital currencies.

At the time, the U.K. is still considering whether or not it should issue a CBDC. In November Bank of England Deputy Governor Jon Cunliffe said the collapse of crypto exchange FTX and its impact on crypto as a whole proved the need for a digital pound.

Countries around the world are considering the same, with two-thirds of central banks in a recent Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) survey saying they would issue a CBDC within 10 years. The Bahamas, Nigeria, Eastern Caribbean and Jamaica have already issued a CBDC, while China is ahead of most larger nations with its own CBDC trials.