Having tested the wholesale usage of its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is preparing to conduct the retail pilot of the “digital rupee.” The pilot should launch within a month. According to the Economic Times of India, the RBI is in the final stage of preparing the rollout of the retail digital rupee pilot. Among the participants are the State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, ICICI Bank, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, and IDFC First Bank. Reportedly, at some point, the pilot is going to include all …

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is on track to debut the central bank digital currency (CBDC) after announcing the digital rupee project in February this year. The central bank of India will launch the digital rupee pilot for the wholesale segment on Nov. 1, the RBI reportedly announced on Monday. The pilot will involve nine locally operating banks, including the biggest Indian bank, the State Bank of India. According to a report by Reuters, other banks in the pilot will also include Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, IDFC …

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is in talks with fintech companies and state-controlled banks on a trial run of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), local publication Moneycontrol reported Sept. 5. An unnamed public sector bank official told the publication that the trial may precede an RBI launch of a CBDC this fiscal year. U.S.-based financial services company FIS was mentioned as one of the fintechs the RBI is consulting with. FIS senior director Julia Demidova confirmed to Moneycontrol that, “FIS has had various engagements with the RBI […] and, of course, our connected ecosystem could be extended to …

Paytm, India's leading digital payments company, has said Thursday that it would consider Bitcoin services if the country's regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies was more definite. Speaking to Haslinda Amin and Rishaad Salamat during an interview on Bloomberg TV, Paytm's Chief Financial Officer Madhur Deora stated that the rules surrounding Bitcoin (BTC) remain in a “grey area” in India. “Bitcoin is still in a regulatory grey area if not a regulatory ban in India. [...] At the moment Paytm does not do Bitcoin. If it was ever to become fully legal in the country then clearly there could be offerings we …

India’s central bank has issued an official notice regarding the fact that local banks are reportedly cautioning customers against using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). Published Monday, the notice points out that the Reserve Bank of India is aware of media reports that certain banks have cautioned their customers against crypto by referring to the RBI’s quashed, three-year-old circular. “Such references to the above circular by banks/ regulated entities are not in order as this circular was set aside by the Hon’ble Supreme Court on March 4, 2020 in the matter of Writ Petition,” the notice reads, emphasizing that the circular …

Cryptocurrency exchange OKEx has announced a new peer-to-peer trading platform launching Aug. 5, which allows users to buy digital currencies with zero transaction fees using Indian rupees (INR). The announcement comes hot on the heels of reports that the Indian government is planning to pass a law making cryptocurrency trading illegal in the country. Easy fiat onramp supports major Indian payment platforms At launch the platform is offering Bitcoin (BTC) and Tether (USDT) pairs for INR, with support for further cryptocurrencies promised soon. OKEx describes the platform as a marketplace for traders to make fiat-to-crypto transactions via escrow. Users may …

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has endorsed blockchain as an ‘opportunity in frontier technology’, renewing hopes that the country is warming to cryptocurrencies. In a keynote address at the India Ideas Summit, hosted by the US-India Business Council on Wednesday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched the country as a haven for multinational investors. Big Opportunities in Blockchain Part of the speech included an endorsement for blockchain as an investment opportunity among these ‘frontier technologies’. “Opportunities in technology also include opportunities in the frontier technologies of 5G, Big data analytics, Quantum computing, Blockchain and Internet of things,” Modi …

Crypto derivatives exchange Delta Exchange has announced a new injection of funding from blockchain investor CoinFund, aiming to provide strategic resources for both parties in their focus to expand in India. According to the announcement, New York-based firm CoinFund looks forward to implementing its first venture investment in India following the recent lifting of the Reserve Bank of India’s ban on banks serving crypto-related firms. Big opportunities in the Indian crypto derivatives market Speaking to Cointelegraph, Alex Felix, managing partner of CoinFund, said: “The crypto market opportunity in India is big! The combination of the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate …

India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, seems to finally be clarifying its stance on financial services for cryptocurrency-related businesses. In response to a right to information request, the RBI clarified that there are no restrictions on banks preventing them from providing an account to cryptocurrency companies or traders. The request was initially filed by Harish BV, a cofounder of local cryptocurrency exchange Unocoin. The Supreme Court’s decision on the crypto ban wasn’t the end In 2018, the RBI released a statement restricting all regulated entities including banks from dealing with any organization or individual traders transacting in cryptocurrencies. …

It was early in March when India’s Supreme Court delivered a historic verdict on a landmark case that promised a new era for crypto in India. The Supreme Court moved to lift the Reserve Bank of India’s controversial ban on banks issuing services to crypto-related firms. It seems, however, that not all banks are complying with the new ruling. According to Mohammed Danish, a fintech lawyer, there are reports of several cases where banks have continued to decline crypto-related transactions. “In most of the cases, the banks have not given any written communication but verbally informed their customers that they …

Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Reserve Bank of India’s ban on financial institutions providing banking services to crypto firms, the country’s digital asset exchanges are seeking clarity on their taxation obligations. On May 4, India Times reported that several of India’s crypto exchanges collectively penned a letter to the RBI claiming that the current absence of regulatory clarity has led to banks continuing to deny services to exchanges dealing with crypto assets. The report notes that the exchanges have also reached out to India’s high court regarding the matter. Indian crypto exchanges want GST clarification In particular, the …

A filing submitted in the lower house of India’s parliament — the Lok Sabha — has revealed an investigation into fraudulent practices by so-called “bit coin companies” operating in the country. An official question was submitted by center-left parliamentarian Mohammed Faizal and was answered by Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur on March 16. Indian politician requests investigation into regulatory status of crypto companies Faizal asked the Minister of Corporate Affairs three questions relating to cryptocurrency companies in India. Firstly, he asked if the government is aware of an increasing number of reports alleging “cheating and …