India: Government to Consider Allowing Crypto Tokens, But Not Cryptocurrencies

Published at: Aug. 10, 2018

The Indian government is considering whether to allow crypto tokens to be used in the country, despite its hardline stance on cryptocurrencies, local news outlet DNA India reports August 10.

A committee set up by the finance ministry, under the chairmanship of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) secretary, is reportedly working on a set of regulations and roadmap to allow certain crypto assets to be used in India. Once the draft proposals are finalized, the legislation will be tabled before the Parliament, according to DNA’s source.

DEA secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, who is heading the committee, is quoted by DNA as saying:

"The committee is studying the possibility of using cryptocurrencies or crypto technology (distributed ledger technology) for financial transactions and also what kind of regulations are needed for that…[while] the currency is totally banned, the committee is discussing its other usage and how it can be mainstreamed in India."

While emphasizing that DLT technology — of which blockchain is one type — offers “a lot of promise,” Garg reportedly “categorically denied” the future use of cryptocurrencies themselves “in any manner,” including in payment systems.

Garg said that the DEA has issued “several advisories” to the public warning people of the risks of cryptocurrencies, which are considered to be “a Ponzi kind of scheme” and not “currencies at all.” Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a ban on banks' dealings with crypto-related businesses and persons, which came into effect July 5.

Garg said, however, that he believes the government may “test the waters” when it comes to allowing for crypto tokenization, which — if introduced — would not be able to serve as a substitute for fiat currencies:

"One will need to pay physical money to buy a token which could be stored as a code in any basic mobile feature phone. It can even be used for remittances. So, it is easy to implement from technology as well as regulatory point of view. But in case of cryptocurrency, one needs to allow it as a legal tender first."

As part of its efforts, the committee will reportedly include an analysis of what it considers would be the prospects and consequences of the government legalizing cryptocurrencies.

Ongoing hearings on RBI’s controversial ban have seen the judiciary refuse to grant interim relief to those that purport to be affected. Recently, the court deferred the final hearing on the ban, originally scheduled for July 20, until September 2018.

Tags
Bitcoin Regulation
Cryptocurrencies
Government
Tokens
India
Banks
Reserve Bank Of India
Related Posts
Banning Bitcoin is like rejecting the US dollar, entrepreneur warns India
An Indian cryptocurrency ban would have grave implications for the future of the country’s economy, and would result in currency devaluation “of the worst form,” says blockchain entrepreneur and HashCash CEO Raj Chowdhury. Chowdhury, also the managing director of the United States-based PayBito cryptocurrency exchange, said India’s rejection of Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies would be the equivalent of rejecting the U.S. dollar. Without regulating and eventually adopting cryptocurrency as a reserve currency, Chowdhury believes India’s economy would suffer in the long term. “Maintaining Cryptocurrency reserves are as important as maintaining dollar reserves. By banning crypto, India will end up …
Technology / March 25, 2021
Supreme Court of India Postpones Cryptocurrency Ban Hearing to November
The Supreme Court of India has postponed a hearing that would consider the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) ban on providing services to cryptocurrency-related business. In an Oct. 16 session on the ban that prohibits banks and financial institutions from providing digital currency-related services, the court shifted the date of the next hearing to Nov. 12. The date was further extended to Nov. 19 due to national holidays in India, which fall on the date initially set. RBI criticized In late August, the Supreme Court slammed the country’s central bank over its handling of the cryptocurrency business ban and ordered …
Bitcoin Regulation / Oct. 16, 2019
Supreme Court of India Puts 4-Week Deadline on Release of Crypto Regulation by Government
The Supreme Court of India has reportedly granted four weeks to Indian authorities to come up with cryptocurrency regulation policies, local news outlet Inc42 reports on Feb. 25. If the Indian government does not provide a crypto regulatory framework in four weeks, the Supreme Court is set to release their own judgement, the article states. At the hearing on Feb. 25, the court has given one last opportunity to the Union of India to develop crypto regulation, stressing that afterwards, the Court will stop hearing crypto-related cases, including the parties who demand to reverse the crypto circular released by the …
Adoption / Feb. 25, 2019
Reserve Bank of India Urges Supreme Court to Regulate Crypto
India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has urged the country’s Supreme Court to regulate cryptocurrencies, local news outlet the Financial Express reports July 21. In April of this year, the RBI announced it will stop providing services to businesses or persons dealing with cryptocurrencies, citing high risks. The RBI’s senior advocate Shyam Divan told a bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that it is necessary to regulate Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies since these “particular means” will “encourage illegal transactions.” Divan also pointed out that the issue has “immense policy dimensions,” attesting that crypto has the …
Bitcoin Regulation / July 22, 2018
Draft of India’s National DLT Strategy Calls for State-Run Digital Rupee
A draft of India’s national strategy on blockchain and distributed ledger technology suggests a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital Indian rupee, and a national blockchain. The National Institute for Smart Governance (NISG), a non-profit public body incorporated by the government of India, has published a draft document on the country’s national blockchain strategy. Issued on Dec. 30, the document appears to have been published recently as major local publications such as The Economic Times of India reported on the draft strategy on Jan. 28. Digital rupee should be issued on a national blockchain of India In the document, …
Blockchain / Jan. 28, 2020