With Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman publicly confirming the initiative during her Budget 2022 speech, India's own digital currency will soon be a...With Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman publicly confirming the initiative during her Budget 2022 speech, India's own digital currency will soon be a reality. Sitharaman said in her fourth Budget that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would introduce digital money in 2022-23. She also stated that it would provide a significant boost to the economy.According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's new blockchain-based digital currency would simply be a virtual version of the regular Indian rupee (INR), the country's official currency, which now exists in a physical form. According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which controls the issuance of this currency, would also govern digital money.What are the essentials about digital currency as per the PM?The Prime Minister said that the "people-friendly" annual financial statement has made adequate provisions for India's upcoming digital currency, keeping in mind the rapidly changing financial scene, increasingly dealing with cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other forms of digital assets.Prime Minister Modi explained the nature of this virtual money, saying that it may be traded for its physical equivalent because the two are identical in value but differ only in appearance. He believes that this currency would help to enhance the digital economy and the fintech industry.CBDC, he added, is not analogous to the private virtual currencies that have exploded in popularity during the previous decade. What is the view of the Reserve Bank of India on digital currency?The Reserve Bank of India has stated several times that cryptocurrencies such as BitCoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin, among others, constitute a threat to financial stability. The central bank has also questioned the worth of cryptocurrencies, warning investors not to be "lured" by promises of high returns on these digital assets.According to Shri T Rabi Sankar (Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India), private virtual currencies conflict with the historical idea of money.Please Note: The information was last updated on 22/02/2022

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  • BoE and Treasury think UK is 'likely' to need digital currency -Telegraph

    "On the basis of our work to date, the Bank of England and HM Treasury judge that it is likely a digital ...More

    "On the basis of our work to date, the Bank of England and HM Treasury judge that it is likely a digital pound will be needed in the future," the Telegraph quoted Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and finance minister Jeremy Hunt as saying in the joint report. ...Less

  • View: Central banks could issue digital currency, compete directly with PayPal

    Technology is enabling monetary authorities to give ordinary people access to a kind of electronic cash t ...More

    Technology is enabling monetary authorities to give ordinary people access to a kind of electronic cash they have never had before. ...Less

  • Economic Survey 2023 sees RBI’s digital currency as a booster shot for financial services

    The Survey said the introduction of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will provide a boost to digital ...More

    The Survey said the introduction of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will provide a boost to digital financial services by laying the framework for “another generation of financial innovation”. ...Less

  • Australia's central bank launches digital currency project

    The digital currency project will seek to identify innovative use cases and business models that could be ...More

    The digital currency project will seek to identify innovative use cases and business models that could be supported by the issuance of a CBDC. ...Less

  • Discussions on with RBI over digital currency: Nirmala Sitharaman

    Sitharaman in her Budget speech on February 1 had announced that Digital Rupee or Central Bank Digital Cu ...More

    Sitharaman in her Budget speech on February 1 had announced that Digital Rupee or Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) would be issued by the RBI in the coming fiscal year. She had also announced the government will levy 30 per cent tax on gains made from any other private digital assets from April 1. ...Less

  • Discussions on with RBI on crypto, digital currency: Nirmala Sitharaman

    Sitharaman, in her Budget speech on February 1, had announced that Digital Rupee or Central Bank Digital ...More

    Sitharaman, in her Budget speech on February 1, had announced that Digital Rupee or Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) would be issued by the RBI in the coming fiscal year. She had also announced the government will levy 30 per cent tax on gains made from any other private digital assets from April 1. ...Less

  • RBI-backed digital currency coming soon in India

    On the very first day of the winter session of the Parliament, the government received questions regardin ...More

    On the very first day of the winter session of the Parliament, the government received questions regarding the looming ban of cryptocurrency and the RBI’s plans to introduce an official digital currency. ...Less

  • Nigeria to launch digital currency on Monday to enhance payments

    The eNaira, which took several years to develop, will “make financial transactions easier and seamless fo ...More

    The eNaira, which took several years to develop, will “make financial transactions easier and seamless for every strata of the society,” the Central Bank of Nigeria said in emailed statement on Saturday. The digital currency will complement the physical naira. ...Less

  • Digital currency wallets to be used for study loan subsidies

    The government is collaborating with banks to implement a system for routing and settling interest subsid ...More

    The government is collaborating with banks to implement a system for routing and settling interest subsidies on education loans through digital currency wallets. This initiative aims to integrate with the Unified Portal for Education Loan, enhance the efficiency of subsidy claims, and reduce fraud by using Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). ...Less

  • Time for central bank digital currencies to prove their worth

    A few countries have introduced central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), China is trialling a prototype y ...More

    A few countries have introduced central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), China is trialling a prototype yuan with 200 million users, India is gearing up for a pilot and some 130 countries representing 98% of the global economy are exploring digital cash. ...Less

  • Fidelity to allow clients to see digital currencies on website

    The move will make the Boston-based asset manager one of a handful of large financial services firms to h ...More

    The move will make the Boston-based asset manager one of a handful of large financial services firms to have integrated digital currencies into its website. ...Less

  • CBDC to be implemented in phased manner for wholesale, retail segments: RBI official

    New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) The Reserve Bank of India is in the process of implementing the Central Bank Digi ...More

    New Delhi, Jul 20 (PTI) The Reserve Bank of India is in the process of implementing the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in a phased manner for the wholesale and retail segments, an official said on Wednesday. ...Less

  • Don't scare digital currencies away

    Nirmala Sitharaman, in her statement while moving the amendments, has clarified the tax on private digita ...More

    Nirmala Sitharaman, in her statement while moving the amendments, has clarified the tax on private digital assets does not indicate GoI's stance on their legitimacy. ...Less

  • Blockchain not best for digital currency, experts say

    On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget, mooted launch of a di ...More

    On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget, mooted launch of a digital Rupee by RBI during 2022-23, “using blockchain and other technologies.” ...Less

  • A cross-border digital currency can speed up transfer, shows pilot

    The multiple central bank digital currency bridge project (mBridge), joined by the monetary authorities i ...More

    The multiple central bank digital currency bridge project (mBridge), joined by the monetary authorities in Hong Kong, Thailand, China and the United Arab Emirates, has achieved a prototype that reduces the time of international transfers to seconds from days when using the traditional correspondent banking, according to a BIS report Tuesday. ...Less

  • Political ad blitz on Google; new use cases for digital currency

    Data from Google Ads Transparency Centre shows that parties are shelling out nearly Rs 117 crore on the s ...More

    Data from Google Ads Transparency Centre shows that parties are shelling out nearly Rs 117 crore on the search giant alone. This is against the Rs 10 crore spent on political ads in the runup to the 2019 general elections. ...Less

  • India needs an RBI digital currency

    Some degree of anonymity can, perhaps, be built into the blockchain-based model that identifies accounts. ...More

    Some degree of anonymity can, perhaps, be built into the blockchain-based model that identifies accounts. A CBDC could prevent private payment system providers from monopolising transaction data, via the self-reinforcing loop of data, network externalities and activities, attracting ever more users. ...Less

  • Google, Amazon, Walmart-owned PhonePe seek to join RBI's digital currency project: Sources

    Indian payment firms GooglePay, PhonePe, AmazonPay, and Indian fintech firm Cred are among five companies ...More

    Indian payment firms GooglePay, PhonePe, AmazonPay, and Indian fintech firm Cred are among five companies reportedly seeking to join the Reserve Bank of India's digital currency pilot. The e-rupee, a digital alternative to physical currency, was initially allowed only by banks but has since declined to around 100,000-200,000 a day. ...Less

  • India's central bank proposes linking BRICS' digital currencies

    India will host the summit, which will be held later this year. If the recommendation is accepted, a prop ...More

    India will host the summit, which will be held later this year. If the recommendation is accepted, a proposal to link the digital currencies of BRICS members would be put forward for the first time. The RBI's proposal builds on a 2025 declaration at a BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, which pushed for interoperability between members' payment systems to make cross-border transactions more efficient. ...Less

  • RBI proposes linking BRICS' digital currencies, sources say

    India's central bank has proposed linking BRICS nations' digital currencies to facilitate cross-border tr ...More

    India's central bank has proposed linking BRICS nations' digital currencies to facilitate cross-border trade and tourism payments, potentially reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar. This initiative, to be discussed at the 2026 BRICS summit, builds on previous calls for payment system interoperability among member states. ...Less

  • RBI may come out with model on India’s digital currency by year-end

    “We are evaluating the issue of scope, technology, distribution and validation mechanism etc.” Sankar sai ...More

    “We are evaluating the issue of scope, technology, distribution and validation mechanism etc.” Sankar said. Earlier in July, Sankar had said that RBI is working toward a “phased implementation strategy” of CBDC in India where a pilot to test a general-purpose digital currency is a possibility in the near future. ...Less

  • Govt, RBI actively engaged on digital currency: FinMin Nirmala Sitharaman

    Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the government and the Reserve Bank are actively involved ...More

    Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the government and the Reserve Bank are actively involved in enhancing the central bank digital currency (CBDC) for cross-border payments. The RBI initiated a pilot project for wholesale CBDC with nine banks, and a retail version of CBDC or e-rupee was launched on December 1, 2022. ...Less

  • Central bankers lay out digital currency cyber threat

    Around 130 countries are now exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDC) to keep up with technologic ...More

    Around 130 countries are now exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDC) to keep up with technological change, but there are worries that the online nature of them could make them a major target for criminals and hostile states. ...Less

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