Applied Blockchain and NOBO Finance have been selected to participate in Phase 1 of the Bank of England’s Digital Pound Lab. The Lab is a new initiative providing an experimental platform for industry to test use cases and explore how a UK central bank digital currency (CBDC) could function in practice.

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The collaboration brings together Applied Blockchain’s expertise in privacy technology and financial innovation, developed through projects with global leaders in finance, with NOBO Finance’s experience in open banking and digital payments.

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Applied Blockchain’s role in Phase 1 of the Lab, alongside NOBO Finance, demonstrates the company’s commitment to advancing secure, privacy-focused technology for financial services. Applied Blockchain will use its privacy technology, Silent Data, within the Lab to demonstrate how sensitive financial data can be verified on-chain without being exposed.

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Applied Blockchain is the company behind Silent Data, a Layer 2 solution that enables institutions to verify sensitive information on-chain without revealing the underlying data. By introducing bank-grade privacy to digital asset infrastructure, Silent Data provides financial organisations with tools to support compliance and innovation while protecting user and institutional data.

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“Initiatives like the Digital Pound Lab are vital to understanding how central bank digital currencies can support innovation while safeguarding users and institutions,” said Adi Ben-Ari, Founder and CEO of Applied Blockchain. “We are pleased to collaborate with NOBO Finance in Phase 1 and contribute to the UK’s exploration of digital money.”

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About the Digital Pound Lab

The Bank of England’s Digital Pound lab will run from August 2025 to July 2026, and is an experimental platform where participating organisations can test potential capabilities of a digital pound.

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The Digital Pound lab is structured in two phases:
● Phase 1 (Aug–Nov 2025): Bank-defined use cases
● Phase 2 (Nov 2025–July 2026): Industry-defined innovation

Findings from the Lab will inform the Bank of England’s future work on a potential digital pound, helping shape the UK’s approach to secure, interoperable digital currency infrastructure.
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About Applied Blockchain

Applied Blockchain is a development studio specialising in blockchain and privacy technologies. Founded in 2015, the company has delivered over 150 enterprise platforms for clients such as Shell, Barclays, and the United Nations. Applied Blockchain is the
creator of Silent Data, a high-performance Ethereum Layer 2 enabling programmable privacy for financial services and digital assets.
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About NOBO Finance

NOBO Finance is a UK-based fintech building a platform for the modern global economy, integrating embedded banking, digital currencies, and tokenisation of real-world assets. By orchestrating complex transactions and reducing friction, NOBO Finance helps institutions and consumers move their money at the speed their businesses need, in real-time, securely, and at low cost.

→ Explore Bank of England Digital Pound Lab participants
→ Discover Silent Data case studies