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Shareholders: Digital Technology

Asked by Olivia BlakeLabourTreasuryTabled Answered 28 April 2026UIN 128429

The question

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consideration has the Government made of the potential impact of shareholder digitisation on a) cooperatives, b) small businesses and c) social enterprises.

Answered by Lucy Rigby

The Digitisation Taskforce, chaired by Sir Douglas Flint, published a report in July 2025 with its recommendations on how to modernise the UK’s shareholding framework, including removing paper shares. The report focused on companies whose securities are traded publicly, and did not cover private, unlisted companies or other entities. The government has accepted his recommendations. The Dematerialisation Market Action Taskforce (DEMAT), chaired by Mark Austin, is now taking forward work to implement the recommendations from the report.

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