Crypto and Digital Assets APPG visits B2C2 for behind-the-scenes look at UK digital asset trading
As the UK prepares to implement its new cryptoasset regulatory regime, members of Parliament’s Crypto and Digital Assets All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), Westminster’s leading cross-party group of MPs and Members of the House of Lords focused on crypto and digital asset regulation, this week visited the London headquarters of B2C2 to gain first-hand insight into how one of the UK’s leading digital asset trading firms operates.
The cross-party visit was organised by CryptoUK in its role as Secretariat to the APPG and led by the APPG’s Co-Chairs, Gurinder Singh Josan CBE MP and Lord Vaizey of Didcot. This visit also coincided with the publication of the Financial Conduct Authority’s final rules and guidance for the UK’s new cryptoasset regime, marking a significant milestone in the development of the UK’s regulatory framework for digital assets.
B2C2 is a London-headquartered global digital asset trading firm providing liquidity and execution services to institutional clients, including banks, asset managers, hedge funds and crypto exchanges. The visit formed part of the APPG’s wider programme of engagement with industry, giving MPs and Members of the House of Lords the opportunity to see first-hand how firms are preparing for the UK’s new regulatory framework and deepen their understanding of the sector.
During the visit, parliamentarians were given a behind-the-scenes tour of B2C2’s London headquarters, meeting employees from across the business and seeing how the firm’s trading, technology, research, compliance and risk management teams work together to support institutional digital asset markets.
A highlight of the visit was a live demonstration of how an institutional digital asset trade is executed and settled. Parliamentarians watched digital asset trading take place in real time, and had the opportunity to question B2C2’s specialists about the technology, controls and market infrastructure that underpin the firm’s operations.
The parliamentary delegation included APPG Co-Chairs Gurinder Singh Josan CBE MP and Lord Vaizey of Didcot, alongside Lord Taylor of Warwick and Baroness Kramer, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson in the House of Lords.
The tour was led by B2C2 Group CEO Thomas Restout and Head of LCD Strategy and Regulatory Affairs Rebecca Rogers. Throughout the visit, MPs and Members of the House of Lords also met senior leaders from across the business, including Chief Legal Officer Dean Sovolos, Chief Compliance Office (UK) Nicola Barrett, Chief Compliance Office (US) Gino Ercolino, Chief Risk Officer Marc van Eijck, and others.
The visit concluded with a roundtable discussion with B2C2’s senior leadership team and other industry representatives on the implementation of the UK’s new cryptoasset regime and the opportunities and challenges involved in building competitive, well-governed digital asset markets in the UK. The discussion gave parliamentarians the opportunity to hear directly from B2C2’s leadership and exchange views on the future direction of UK crypto regulation as the new framework begins to take shape.
To find out more about the APPG or to get involved, please get in touch via the contact form on the APPG page.
