Tom Mutton, the Chair, expressed his gratitude to the Members for their participation in the seventh meeting of the CBDC Technology Forum. He specifically thanked them for their responses to the Consultation Paper and the Technology Working Paper. The Bank of England provided an update on the progress of the digital pound roadmap, stating that they were now in the design phase. During this phase, they would conduct experiments, proofs of concept, and develop a detailed digital pound blueprint. This phase was expected to last for 2-3 years, after which a decision would be made on whether to proceed to the build phase. The Bank of England emphasized the importance of the Technology Forum’s role in the design phase, which is to provide ideas and expert analysis to inform and challenge the Bank’s experiments and the eventual digital pound blueprint. The Bank of England also mentioned that applications to the Technology Forum had reopened in July 2023 for a limited number of places. They welcomed new members but stressed the need to maintain a manageable number of members to facilitate high-quality discussions. Therefore, active participation in meetings and future subgroups was crucial for members of the Technology Forum.