How Democratys came to be
Democracy is changing faster than most of us realise.
From disinformation and foreign interference to opaque digital funding networks and emerging technologies, the pressures facing democratic societies are becoming more complex, more global and harder to see.
Democratys was founded to help the UK better understand and respond to the emerging challenges shaping modern democracy.
We believe resilient democracies depend not only on strong institutions, but on an informed public and the ability of society to understand and respond to rapidly evolving risks, technologies and threats. As a cross-party educational charity, Democratys works through journalism, research, public discussion and expert collaboration to educate, inform and strengthen public understanding around the complex forces shaping democratic life in the UK.
One of the first places this work took shape was through our podcast, Ctrl Alt Deceit: Democracy in Danger, which explored the forces shaping and, at times, undermining democratic systems in the UK and across the wider democratic world. Reaching the top of Apple's UK Government charts at one stage, the podcast helped bring conversations around democratic resilience, foreign interference and emerging threats into wider public conversation.
Alongside the podcast, public events and wider engagement work, Democratys repeatedly encountered growing concern from experts working across national security, political finance, financial crime and technology about the speed at which democratic systems were struggling to keep pace with emerging financial technologies.
In response, Democratys began convening leading voices from across law, regulation, national security, policy, financial services and democratic governance to explore how democratic safeguards could evolve alongside technological change.
Working alongside partners including RUSI's Centre for Finance and Security, alongside specialists in political finance, illicit finance and democratic resilience, this work developed into a substantial programme of expert roundtables, parliamentary engagement, policy discussion and public education focused on the intersection between cryptocurrency, political finance and democratic integrity.
As those discussions deepened, a consistent concern emerged around the speed at which political finance systems could become exposed to opaque or foreign-linked funding before democratic safeguards and regulatory frameworks had fully caught up.
Alongside this wider work, Democratys contributed to the broader policy and parliamentary discussions surrounding safeguards on cryptocurrency donations in political finance, including the case for a temporary moratorium while regulatory and transparency frameworks continue to evolve.
This work formed part of a wider national conversation that contributed to the Government's decision to launch the Rycroft Review into the regulation of political finance and emerging technologies, to which Democratys contributed through submissions, expert engagement and evidence-led discussion.
The cryptocurrency and political finance work therefore represents one chapter of a much broader mission: helping policymakers, institutions and the public better understand how emerging technologies, democratic systems and public trust intersect in modern society.
As Democratys continues to grow, our work will continue to explore the major challenges shaping the future of democratic life in the UK — from transparency, technology and information integrity to public trust, democratic participation, freedom of expression and the resilience of democratic institutions in an increasingly complex world.
At its core, Democratys exists to strengthen democratic resilience, public understanding and trust through informed debate, expert collaboration and accessible public education.
