Richard Ells, Founder of Electroneum, has been invited to join the Advisory Board of the UK’s Blockchain All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)

Earlier this year, the UK government announced plans to make the UK a global hub for cryptoasset technology and investment. This mission has far-reaching potential given the impact blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) could have on people’s lives, from digital identities to decentralised national voting systems. Led by Martin Docherty-Hughes MP, the UK’s APPG Blockchain was established in 2018 to help UK regulators understand and embrace these new technologies. Today marks an important milestone in the history of Electroneum as its Founder, Richard Ells, accepts the APPG’s invitation to join their Advisory Board.

Richard was first involved with APPG Blockchain in June 2022 when he was invited to speak at UK Parliament alongside four other industry experts to share their organisation’s opinions on the importance of supportive digital asset regulations in the UK.

In addition to Martin Docherty-Hughes MP who leads APPG Blockchain, the group’s officers include; Kevan Jones MP, Viscount Waverley, The Earl of Lindsay, and Stephen Metcalfe MP. The advisory board includes; Dr. Scott Steedman (BSI Group), Charles Kerrigan (CMS Tax Law), Dr. Navin Ramachandran (IOTA Foundation), Chris Trew (Stratis Platform), amongst a few others.

“I welcome Electroneum and its Founder, Richard Ells, to the Advisory Board within the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Blockchain (APPG Blockchain). Working across blockchain developers, industry adoption and government in the areas of Blockchain policy, regulation and digital infrastructure development is vital for this sector to unlock its full purpose and potential. We must enable our business models, economy and society to fully benefit from the advantages of Blockchain technology. Support from Electroneum is valued alongside other significant industry players. “ — Prof. Birgitte Andersen, CEO of Big Innovation Centre — APPG Blockchain Secretariat.

Having operated at the forefront of blockchain and DLT technologies in the UK since the mid-2010s, Richard has long been an advocate for the adoption of this new and advancing technology.

“It is a tremendous pleasure to be working alongside some of the UK’s most forward-thinking members of parliament. I’m confident that with the help of APPG Blockchain, the UK government can develop a strong foundation upon which blockchain and DLT innovation is supported and not hindered by long-established laws, many of which were established long before electricity was even a concept, let alone blockchain! I have no doubt that our work with Electroneum and AnyTask.com will provide invaluable insight for the guidance put forth to government by APPG Blockchain.”

Over the last five years, Richard and his team have helped to deliver on various solutions that not only simplify the use of cryptocurrency but enable people to embrace new ways to earn an income online without the need for a bank account; a global issue faced by more than one-fifth of the world’s population.

Today the Electroneum ecosystem supports more than four million users worldwide. Meanwhile, AnyTask.com is enabling freelancers to get paid in Electroneum’s native cryptocurrency (ETN) to alleviate the need for a bank account, whilst helping to reduce Seller Fees to zero and facilitate cross-border transfers at a fraction of the cost.

Working with third parties, Richard and his teams have worked tirelessly to introduce various ways to spend ETN from within the ETN App, making it easy for people to not only securely store their cryptocurrency, but also spend it on everyday essentials without the need to exchange their ETN for fiat currencies. Options include mobile and airtime top-ups, household utilities, and retail gift cards for the likes of Amazon, Apple, PlayStation, and more.

This type of end-to-end solution, which has been in operation for several years globally, will provide invaluable insight for APPG Blockchain and the guidance they provide UK policymakers. It’s important to remember the impact technologies such as email and social media have had on society today. Given supportive legislation, we could see blockchain and DLT technologies producing similar results, possibly on a larger scale considering the number of sectors it could one day impact.

Originally published at https://news.electroneum.com on December 15, 2022.