@Susie
Journalist
No relay list published yet.
Recent Notes
BTCHEL is back in Helsinki this week and I’m speaking on two panels:
- Will Bitcoin break the EU?
- Who’s writing Europe’s Bitcoin policy?
We will be discussing capital controls, financial freedom, privacy, self-custody, MiCA and the digital euro.
We’ll also be considering what we actually want from policymakers when Bitcoin was designed to work without intermediaries.
Last year was excellent and I can’t wait to be back!
If you’re in Helsinki, come and say hello.
https://btchel.com/
- Will Bitcoin break the EU?
- Who’s writing Europe’s Bitcoin policy?
We will be discussing capital controls, financial freedom, privacy, self-custody, MiCA and the digital euro.
We’ll also be considering what we actually want from policymakers when Bitcoin was designed to work without intermediaries.
Last year was excellent and I can’t wait to be back!
If you’re in Helsinki, come and say hello.
https://btchel.com/
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Bitcoin does not need permission. Unfortunately, in the UK, buying it increasingly does.
In 2022, Rishi Sunak said he wanted the UK to become a “global cryptoasset technology hub”. Since then, buying Bitcoin has become wrapped in layer after layer of friction.
- 24 hour cooling-off period
- Personalised risk warnings
- Investor categorisation
- Appropriateness assessments
- Financial-promotion restrictions
- Rising compliance costs for UK facing businesses
The rules do not stop at the FCA. Banks now sit on top of them and decide whether a legal purchase goes through.
- Chase blocks crypto payments
- Santander limits them to £1,000 per transaction and £3,000 per 30 days
- NatWest limits them to £1,000 per day and £5,000 per 30 days
- HSBC limits them to £2,500 per transaction and £10,000 per 30 days
- Barclays limits transfers and blocks crypto purchases on Barclaycard
You can pass the test, wait out the cooling-off period, use a compliant exchange and try to make a completely legal purchase with your own money, only to find your bank still decides how much Bitcoin you can buy, or whether you can buy it at all.
Consultations may technically be open to everyone, but meaningful participation takes time, lawyers, policy teams and money.
The UK says it wants to be a global digital-assets hub while simultaneously building more friction between citizens and permissionless money.
The irony is hard to miss. The toughest parts of the UK crypto promotion regime landed across late 2023 and early 2024, just before Bitcoin went on to more than double during 2024.
Bitcoin does not need permission, protection or representation, but people in the UK do need a voice when bad rules are being written around it.
You should not need permission from a broken financial system to step outside a broken monetary system.
https://bitcoinonly.events/bitcoin-policy-uk-resumes-operations-as-susie-ward-returns-as-ceo/
In 2022, Rishi Sunak said he wanted the UK to become a “global cryptoasset technology hub”. Since then, buying Bitcoin has become wrapped in layer after layer of friction.
- 24 hour cooling-off period
- Personalised risk warnings
- Investor categorisation
- Appropriateness assessments
- Financial-promotion restrictions
- Rising compliance costs for UK facing businesses
The rules do not stop at the FCA. Banks now sit on top of them and decide whether a legal purchase goes through.
- Chase blocks crypto payments
- Santander limits them to £1,000 per transaction and £3,000 per 30 days
- NatWest limits them to £1,000 per day and £5,000 per 30 days
- HSBC limits them to £2,500 per transaction and £10,000 per 30 days
- Barclays limits transfers and blocks crypto purchases on Barclaycard
You can pass the test, wait out the cooling-off period, use a compliant exchange and try to make a completely legal purchase with your own money, only to find your bank still decides how much Bitcoin you can buy, or whether you can buy it at all.
Consultations may technically be open to everyone, but meaningful participation takes time, lawyers, policy teams and money.
The UK says it wants to be a global digital-assets hub while simultaneously building more friction between citizens and permissionless money.
The irony is hard to miss. The toughest parts of the UK crypto promotion regime landed across late 2023 and early 2024, just before Bitcoin went on to more than double during 2024.
Bitcoin does not need permission, protection or representation, but people in the UK do need a voice when bad rules are being written around it.
You should not need permission from a broken financial system to step outside a broken monetary system.
https://bitcoinonly.events/bitcoin-policy-uk-resumes-operations-as-susie-ward-returns-as-ceo/
Bitcoin Policy UK is coming out of consolidation and I am resuming my role as CEO. Dr Cristina Llamas-Rey is returning as COO.
Getting here has not been easy. I have never taken a salary from BPUK, and the organisation is still run by a small team of volunteers giving their time around jobs, families and other commitments.
In January, I reached the point where I could not justify taking recurring donations when we did not have the resources to operate properly. Scaling back was the responsible thing to do.
The aim was to keep BPUK going while we cut costs and rebuilt around what we could actually sustain. That is what we have done.
Throughout consolidation, the work continued and we sent our 2026 Manifesto to all 650 MPs. We also responded to Government, FCA, HMRC and Bank of England consultations, worked on banking access, Digital ID and privacy, and continued publishing articles and practical resources.
The way we work has been simplified, with a stricter line on what BPUK can realistically take on.
We are still unfunded and our resources remain limited, so coming out of consolidation does not mean we suddenly have the capacity to do everything people would like BPUK to do.
There are a lot of worthwhile projects and great people doing important work, but we have to guard our time carefully and focus on where BPUK can have the most impact.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped keep BPUK going through this period. The people who continued giving their time, expertise and support made it possible for us to keep moving while we worked through everything behind the scenes. I am very grateful.
I would like BPUK to have a paid team and do far more. If you can help with funding, please email [email protected].
Press release below.
@Bitcoin Policy UK
Getting here has not been easy. I have never taken a salary from BPUK, and the organisation is still run by a small team of volunteers giving their time around jobs, families and other commitments.
In January, I reached the point where I could not justify taking recurring donations when we did not have the resources to operate properly. Scaling back was the responsible thing to do.
The aim was to keep BPUK going while we cut costs and rebuilt around what we could actually sustain. That is what we have done.
Throughout consolidation, the work continued and we sent our 2026 Manifesto to all 650 MPs. We also responded to Government, FCA, HMRC and Bank of England consultations, worked on banking access, Digital ID and privacy, and continued publishing articles and practical resources.
The way we work has been simplified, with a stricter line on what BPUK can realistically take on.
We are still unfunded and our resources remain limited, so coming out of consolidation does not mean we suddenly have the capacity to do everything people would like BPUK to do.
There are a lot of worthwhile projects and great people doing important work, but we have to guard our time carefully and focus on where BPUK can have the most impact.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped keep BPUK going through this period. The people who continued giving their time, expertise and support made it possible for us to keep moving while we worked through everything behind the scenes. I am very grateful.
I would like BPUK to have a paid team and do far more. If you can help with funding, please email [email protected].
Press release below.
@Bitcoin Policy UK
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If the Bank of England writes the backing, liquidity and redemption rules, a sterling stablecoin starts to look a lot less private.
Unlike stablecoins, Bitcoin has no issuer, no redemption promise and no central bank setting the terms.
That is why @Bitcoin Policy UK engages with consultations like this. Bitcoin should not inherit the regulatory assumptions of systems built around issuers, reserves and redemption.
Unlike stablecoins, Bitcoin has no issuer, no redemption promise and no central bank setting the terms.
That is why @Bitcoin Policy UK engages with consultations like this. Bitcoin should not inherit the regulatory assumptions of systems built around issuers, reserves and redemption.
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nostr:npub1hwgw0uznr49t4gullpgfz4m5xnakl5a0l88m3k382xv7ys0tfmlsd503sg does the 12 month clock start at royal assent or at the commons vote? the gap between the 30 september gateway and a 2027 regime i...
The clause says “within 12 months of the day on which this Act is passed”.. so Royal Assent.
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The Lords voted 194-138 to require the Treasury to prepare, publish and consult on a digital assets strategy covering cryptoassets, stablecoins, CBDCs, tokenisation and access to banking and payment services.
The FCA authorisation gateway opens on 30 September, with the new cryptoasset regime due 25 October 2027. Firms are already preparing for a detailed rulebook while what the UK is trying to build is still being argued.
@Bitcoin Policy UK has been working across many of these same issues, including FCA regulation, stablecoins, digital identity, CBDCs and banking access.
If the Lords amendment survives the Commons, Treasury would have 12 months to produce an overarching strategy.
Regulation is already advancing but does the UK have a joined up strategy?
The bill is here:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4129
The amendment is here:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4129/stages/21082/amendments/10037304
The FCA authorisation gateway opens on 30 September, with the new cryptoasset regime due 25 October 2027. Firms are already preparing for a detailed rulebook while what the UK is trying to build is still being argued.
@Bitcoin Policy UK has been working across many of these same issues, including FCA regulation, stablecoins, digital identity, CBDCs and banking access.
If the Lords amendment survives the Commons, Treasury would have 12 months to produce an overarching strategy.
Regulation is already advancing but does the UK have a joined up strategy?
The bill is here:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4129
The amendment is here:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4129/stages/21082/amendments/10037304
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Great chewing the fat with @Discovering Bitcoin 🔶👀. We wandered off piste a few times!
Super fun, thanks for having me.
Super fun, thanks for having me.
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KYC is framed as protection, but when identity data is required to use a service, the information collected for safety can later be used for extortion.
One of the points I made, quoted in Cointelegraph was:
“We need to stop treating identity verification and surrendering your identity as though they are the same thing.”
Revolut released identity files after requests were sent from a legitimate Italian law enforcement address. The piece looks at:
- what went wrong
- why collecting documents is not the same as proving a fact
- how we can verify without storing so much personal data
Efrat Fenigson of You're The Voice warns: “When regulators keep mandating a model that guarantees this outcome, while the technology to verify without storing already exists, it raises a red flag.”
Lyudmyla Kozlovska of the Open Dialogue Foundation highlights another weakness: “EU AML law imposes no verification duty on the bank and provides no meaningful mechanism to check who is really behind an authenticated state request.”
Evin McMullen of Billions Network sums up the wider problem: “This is a governance and standards problem wearing a technology costume. You cannot lose what you never held.”
This is a really important piece from Christina Comben, bringing together the risks around how identity data is collected, stored and shared and the possible alternatives that already exist.
Read the full article here:
https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/revolut-id-thefts-highlight-kycs-dangers-heres-how-to-fix-it
@Efrat Fenigson @Lyudmyla Kozlovska @Bitcoin Policy UK
One of the points I made, quoted in Cointelegraph was:
“We need to stop treating identity verification and surrendering your identity as though they are the same thing.”
Revolut released identity files after requests were sent from a legitimate Italian law enforcement address. The piece looks at:
- what went wrong
- why collecting documents is not the same as proving a fact
- how we can verify without storing so much personal data
Efrat Fenigson of You're The Voice warns: “When regulators keep mandating a model that guarantees this outcome, while the technology to verify without storing already exists, it raises a red flag.”
Lyudmyla Kozlovska of the Open Dialogue Foundation highlights another weakness: “EU AML law imposes no verification duty on the bank and provides no meaningful mechanism to check who is really behind an authenticated state request.”
Evin McMullen of Billions Network sums up the wider problem: “This is a governance and standards problem wearing a technology costume. You cannot lose what you never held.”
This is a really important piece from Christina Comben, bringing together the risks around how identity data is collected, stored and shared and the possible alternatives that already exist.
Read the full article here:
https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/revolut-id-thefts-highlight-kycs-dangers-heres-how-to-fix-it
@Efrat Fenigson @Lyudmyla Kozlovska @Bitcoin Policy UK
45❤️12🧡1
KYC is framed as protection, but when identity data is required to use a service, the information collected for safety can later be used for extortion.
One of the points I made, quoted in Cointelegraph was:
“We need to stop treating identity verification and surrendering your identity as though they are the same thing.”
Revolut released identity files after requests were sent from a legitimate Italian law enforcement address. The piece looks at:
- what went wrong
- why collecting documents is not the same as proving a fact
- how we can verify without storing so much personal data
Efrat Fenigson of You're The Voice warns: “When regulators keep mandating a model that guarantees this outcome, while the technology to verify without storing already exists, it raises a red flag.”
Lyudmyla Kozlovska of the Open Dialogue Foundation highlights another weakness: “EU AML law imposes no verification duty on the bank and provides no meaningful mechanism to check who is really behind an authenticated state request.”
Evin McMullen of Billions Network sums up the wider problem: “This is a governance and standards problem wearing a technology costume. You cannot lose what you never held.”
This is a really important piece from Christina Comben, bringing together the risks around how identity data is collected, stored and shared and the possible alternatives that already exist.
Read the full article here:
https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/revolut-id-thefts-highlight-kycs-dangers-heres-how-to-fix-it
@Efrat Fenigson @Lyudmyla Kozlovska @Bitcoin Policy UK
One of the points I made, quoted in Cointelegraph was:
“We need to stop treating identity verification and surrendering your identity as though they are the same thing.”
Revolut released identity files after requests were sent from a legitimate Italian law enforcement address. The piece looks at:
- what went wrong
- why collecting documents is not the same as proving a fact
- how we can verify without storing so much personal data
Efrat Fenigson of You're The Voice warns: “When regulators keep mandating a model that guarantees this outcome, while the technology to verify without storing already exists, it raises a red flag.”
Lyudmyla Kozlovska of the Open Dialogue Foundation highlights another weakness: “EU AML law imposes no verification duty on the bank and provides no meaningful mechanism to check who is really behind an authenticated state request.”
Evin McMullen of Billions Network sums up the wider problem: “This is a governance and standards problem wearing a technology costume. You cannot lose what you never held.”
This is a really important piece from Christina Comben, bringing together the risks around how identity data is collected, stored and shared and the possible alternatives that already exist.
Read the full article here:
https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/revolut-id-thefts-highlight-kycs-dangers-heres-how-to-fix-it
@Efrat Fenigson @Lyudmyla Kozlovska @Bitcoin Policy UK
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