APPG Working Groups

Explore the four working groups, our evidence framework and how to contribute to the 2027 programme.

EVIDENCE · INDUSTRY · POLICY

2027 Working-Group Programme

Practical questions. Shared evidence. Informed policy.

2027 programme · Expressions of interest welcome

Bring practical experience into evidence-based discussion of blockchain and digital assets. The BBA, as APPG Secretariat, is developing a focused 2027 programme around four working groups.

Three groups examine applications, the crypto economy and trusted data. A fourth connects accessible, jargon-free learning with skills, universities and economic growth. Each has a clear question, a defined contribution and a useful output. Industry, academia, society and public services shape the work together—the quadruple-helix approach at the heart of the UK National Blockchain Roadmap.

Proposed 2027 scope is set out below for discussion with the APPG’s officers. Sessions will be developed in phases around contributor interest and available evidence. Chairs, contributors and meeting dates will be published as confirmed.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION → SHARED KNOWLEDGE

From a practical question to a useful public output

Choose a stage, or play the animated walkthrough. The five A’s guide the work from an agreed question to publication, application and review.

IndustryExperience & implementationAcademiaResearch & evaluationSocietyNeeds & lived experiencePublic services & policyDelivery & policy questions

STAGE 01 / 06

Prepare · connect the four communities

Join & connect

Express interest in a working group. Share your experience, interests and learning needs. The Secretariat brings together a balanced mix of contributors and confirms scope, commitment and participation arrangements.

You leave with: a clear role, a shared purpose and connections across sectors.

OUR WORKING-GROUP MANIFESTO

Start with a question. Follow the evidence.

We bring industry experience, academic research, society’s needs and public-service priorities together to assess where blockchain and digital assets can deliver meaningful value.

Our starting point is the problem to solve. We compare alternatives, examine benefits and harms, make uncertainty visible and assess what happens when evidence is put into practice.

The five A’s of evidence-based blockchain

Ask

Agree a focused, answerable question that matters to people and organisations.

Acquire

Find relevant research, practical experience and evidence from those affected.

Appraise

Assess quality, relevance, bias and uncertainty. Compare benefits, harms and costs.

Apply

Use the findings to inform a decision, briefing or carefully evaluated application in context.

Assess

Review outcomes, learn from limitations and use new evidence to refine the next question.

Make the question clear with PCIO

Problem · Comparison · Intervention · Outcome

PProblem

What needs to improve, for whom, and in what setting?

CComparison

What is the current approach or a credible alternative?

IIntervention

What specific blockchain or digital-asset application are we examining?

OOutcome

What measurable benefits, harms, costs or changes would matter?

See an example: supplier verification

Problem: repeated supplier checks take time and create inconsistent records. Comparison: the existing central database and manual checks. Intervention: a shared blockchain-based credential system. Outcome: verification time, error rates, total costs, privacy and supplier access over an agreed evaluation period.

The question: Compared with existing checks, does the proposed credential system improve supplier verification at an acceptable cost and risk?

An illustrative question, not a claim that the intervention is effective.

Explore the four working groups

01 · DIGITAL ASSETS & THE CRYPTO ECONOMY

Digital Assets, Tokenisation & the Crypto Economy

Tokenisation, cryptoassets, DeFi, DAOs and smart contracts: examine value, governance and safeguards.

Explore the question, contribution & outputs

Policy question: Where do digital assets and the crypto economy offer demonstrable benefits, and what governance, safeguards and infrastructure support responsible adoption?
Who contributes: Banks, asset owners, financial-market specialists, legal and governance experts, technology providers, researchers and consumer representatives.
Contribution: Examine cryptoassets, stablecoins, real-world asset tokenisation, digital ownership and NFTs, alongside decentralised finance (DeFi), decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) and smart contracts. Bring evidence on custody, accountability, consumer protection, costs, risks and alternatives. Each workstream tackles one focused question at a time.
Planned output: A concise evidence briefing comparing use cases, adoption barriers and safeguards, with questions for policymakers.
Member value: Test assumptions with peers and develop a clear, evidence-backed account of your organisation’s experience.
Parliamentary connection: Findings will inform proposed APPG briefings and discussion on digital assets and financial innovation.

02 · SKILLS, EDUCATION & ECONOMIC GROWTH

Skills, Education & Economic Growth

Building skills, strengthening education and workforce planning, and supporting evidence-based economic growth.

Explore the question, contribution & outputs

Starting with Blockchain & Digital Assets: Understanding the Essentials—a jargon-free learning programme for parliamentarians, policymakers and industry associations, including organisations outside Web3. No technical background is required. The group also connects universities and employers around workforce planning, skills gaps and economic development, including policy and regulatory barriers to responsible growth.

Learning question: What understanding, skills and university–industry links does the UK need for responsible blockchain adoption and economic growth?
Who contributes: Parliamentarians and policy teams, established industry and trade associations, employers, universities, educators, researchers, start-ups and practitioners.
Participation: Join plain-English workshops, short demonstrations and open Q&A on blockchain, digital assets and practical use cases. Explain when simpler alternatives are sufficient. Contribute evidence on skills gaps, workforce planning, curricula, research translation, entrepreneurship, and policy and regulatory barriers to responsible business growth.
Planned output: Short explainers, a plain-English glossary, a decision-maker’s question checklist and workshop summaries. A focused skills-and-growth briefing will follow as employer and university evidence is gathered.
Member value: Build a shared vocabulary, communicate practical work clearly, identify skills needs and develop links between employers, universities and industry associations.
Parliamentary connection: Proposed introductory workshops and briefings tailored to policy teams’ questions, alongside evidence on skills, university collaboration and economic development.

03 · PUBLIC SERVICES & TRUST

Public Services & Trusted Data

Explore trusted records, identity and healthcare applications through privacy, access and public value.

Explore the question, contribution & outputs

Policy question: Where can blockchain improve trust in public-service records and information exchange, and how can benefits be assessed against privacy, cost and complexity?
Who contributes: Public-service teams, service users, technology providers, researchers, identity and data-governance specialists, and relevant professional bodies.
Contribution: Bring evidence on digital identity, verifiable credentials, public records or data provenance, including information used by AI systems and public-service digital twins. Healthcare and life-sciences sessions may be developed where sufficient relevant contributors and evidence are available.
Planned output: A concise use-case briefing and evaluation checklist distinguishing demonstrated results from proposals.
Member value: Understand service-user needs, compare alternatives and establish what evidence a credible application requires.
Parliamentary connection: Findings will support proposed APPG discussion on public-service delivery, trustworthy data and responsible adoption.

04 · DIGITAL TRADE, SUPPLY CHAINS & TRADE FINANCE

Digital Trade, Supply Chains & Trade Finance

Compare evidence on digital trade, supply chains, trade finance and accountable procurement.

Explore the question, contribution & outputs

Policy question: How can shared digital records improve cross-border trade, supply-chain reliability, access to trade finance and procurement accountability—and where does blockchain add value?
Who contributes: Importers, exporters, trade-finance providers, banks, logistics operators, procurement teams, buyers, suppliers, trade bodies, auditors, researchers and technology providers.
Contribution: Bring cases involving trade documents, provenance, supplier verification, letters of credit, invoice financing, settlement, contract records or payment processes, with evidence of interoperability, costs and practical barriers.
Planned output: A concise digital-trade, trade-finance and procurement briefing, use-case comparison and practical assessment checklist covering benefits, costs and adoption barriers.
Member value: Compare implementation experience, understand buyer needs and identify opportunities for collaboration across trading networks.
Parliamentary connection: Evidence will support proposed APPG discussion of digital trade, trade finance, supply-chain resilience and accountable spending.

Four groups. Connected expertise.

A practical question can draw on more than one group. Select a group to see an example of how they support one another.

Example: tokenised trade assets

Digital Assets examines ownership, custody and governance; Trade tests the commercial use case; Skills & Education turns the findings into a plain-English explainer.

Illustrative collaboration pathways, not completed projects. BBA coordinates the evidence, connects contributors and shares reviewed learning through its website and relevant research, industry and policy activities.

Shared questions across the four groups

Each group will consider evidence quality, evaluation and audit; legal responsibilities and standards; security and interoperability; inclusion, accessibility and sustainability. International cooperation and the needs of SMEs will inform relevant discussions.

AI, quantum readiness and connected devices will be examined within the use cases they affect. Digital twins will be considered where they address a practical service or industry need. This keeps the programme focused while retaining the breadth of the APPG’s earlier exploratory domains.

What the work should produce

For industry

Practical comparisons, peer learning, clearer adoption requirements and opportunities to develop evidence with researchers and users.

For policymakers

Concise, sourced briefings that explain opportunities, limitations and the questions that require further scrutiny.

For academia

Real implementation questions, connections with practitioners and opportunities to translate research into accessible evidence.

For society & public services

A voice in defining needs, assessing risks and examining whether proposed applications deliver public value.

ILLUSTRATIVE BRIEFING

What a Working Group Could Produce

Example format—not a completed working-group output.

A concise public briefing could bring the discussion together in this format:

01 · The question: The practical issue being explored, who it affects and what needs to improve.
02 · Contributions: Research, case studies and practical experience shared, with sources and relevant limitations.
03 · Discussion findings: Potential applications, alternative approaches, limitations and areas of agreement or disagreement.
04 · Next steps: Questions that need further investigation, evidence gaps and opportunities for continued discussion.
05 · Contributors: Names and organisations credited with their agreement once participation and contributions are confirmed.

The format would be adapted to the topic and the evidence available.

From contribution to publication

Reviewed outputs are intended to be showcased on the BBA website with their question, sources, contributors, findings, limitations and next steps. Findings may inform APPG briefings and discussions agreed with its officers. Relevant insights can also inform BBA educational resources and future research priorities.

The 2027 programme is in development. No completed outputs are claimed here. Publication follows evidence review and contributor agreement on attribution; confidential or personal material is not published without permission.

What taking part involves

Agree the question. The Secretariat scopes a focused topic with a small, balanced group of contributors.
Bring evidence. Submit a short case study, research finding or practical challenge, including results, costs, limitations and relevant interests.
Discuss and test. The proposed format is two facilitated online workshops over approximately three months, with in-person sessions where appropriate.
Produce a useful output. Review a concise summary briefing, normally 4–6 pages, supported by sources, acknowledged contributions and clear evidence gaps. The learning programme will use shorter educational resources.
Share and follow through. Publish reviewed outputs and use them to inform officer-agreed APPG briefings, workshops or roundtables. Record next steps and review what the work achieved.

Express interest in the 2027 programme

Tell the Secretariat which working group interests you, your organisation and role, and the evidence, practical experience or learning questions you would bring. BBA members, researchers, practitioners, industry associations and other relevant contributors are welcome to express interest.

Participation arrangements, any associated costs and the expected commitment will be explained before you agree to take part. Membership or sponsorship does not determine findings or guarantee a parliamentary invitation. Contributors will be selected for relevant expertise and a balanced range of perspectives.

Contact the APPG Secretariat →

Coordinated by the British Blockchain Association, Secretariat to the APPG on Blockchain Technologies. Working-group briefings are evidence contributions to an informal cross-party forum; they are not statements of government policy.

ABOUT APPGs

All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal cross-party groups of Members of Parliament and Peers with a shared interest in a particular subject. The APPG on Blockchain Technologies is not an official website of the House of Commons or House of Lords. The British Blockchain Association provides the Secretariat.