Officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have reportedly sounded the alarm bells again over crypto adoption, which they claim will ultimately lead to the “dollarization” of the local economy. According to a Monday report from the Indian branch of the Economic Times — which cited unnamed sources — the RBI’s concerns are focused on U.S. dollar-dominated cryptocurrencies taking away market share from the Indian rupee. The publication notes that RBI officials, along with its governor Shaktikanta Das, provided a briefing to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance this week. In it, they took a very skeptical stance toward …

Just three days after debuting in the Indian market, United States-based crypto exchange Coinbase abruptly stopped using United Payments Interface (UPI), the most popular payment service in the region. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong later revealed that the service disruption was due to an “informal pressure” from India’s central bank. During Coinbase’s 2022 Quarterly Earnings call, Armstrong spoke about the company’s global expansion plans while acknowledging Coinbase’s role in starting the conversation with regulators related to crypto adoption. When asked about the impact of the recent disruption related to offering payment services in India, Armstrong stated: “So a few days after …

T. Rabi Sankar from the Reserve Bank of India compared cryptocurrency to ponzi schemes and said that banning them, not regulating them, would be the “most advisable choice” for the Indian government. Sankar, the deputy governor for the RBI, told audiences at a keynote address on Feb. 14 that “We have also seen that cryptocurrencies are not amenable to definition as a currency, asset or commodity.” "Cryptocurrencies are not currencies, or financial assets or real assets or even digital assets. Therefore, it cannot be regulated by any financial sector regulator. It is not possible to regulate something that one cannot …

T.V. Somanathan, the finance secretary for the Indian government, is reportedly pushing back against the narrative cryptocurrencies will be widely accepted in the country — by dismissing the possibility of using them as legal tender. According to a Wednesday tweet from Asian News International, Somanathan said that a digital rupee backed by the Reserve Bank of India, or RBI, will be accepted as legal tender, but major cryptocurrencies have no chance of doing so. The finance secretary added that because digital assets including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) do not have authorization from the government, they will likely remain “assets …

In a speech discussing the budget for 2022, Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the launch of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) by 2022-23 as means to boost the country’s economic growth. Sitharaman highlighted the need for digital inclusion across numerous business verticals while announcing the fund allocation set in the Union Budget. Speaking about the launch of a digital rupee, she added that the introduction of a CBDC will provide a “big boost” to the digital economy. She also highlighted the possibility of a more efficient and cheaper currency management system made possible by digital currencies. “It is …

The latest bulletin covering the agenda for India's lower house of parliament includes “a lecture on understanding cryptocurrency” and its economic impact. According to a Monday publication from the Lok Sabha, the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies group within the government has organized a training evening for lawmakers on Feb. 2 regarding crypto and its effects on the Indian economy. In addition, the legislative business calendar for the lower house of parliament no longer includes a bill which could potentially ban crypto in the country. The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill does not appear as …

Despite the ongoing uncertainty about cryptocurrency regulation in India, local financial firms are backing new ventures aiming to launch Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded funds (ETF). Torus Kling Blockchain, a joint venture between Cosmea Financial Holding, a financial firm backed by former Reliance Capital CEO Sam Ghosh, and Kling Trading India, is preparing to launch Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) futures ETFs in India, The Economic Times reported Thursday. The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with India’s major stock exchange, the India International Exchange (INX), to launch crypto ETFs alongside investment products tracking major metaverse-related companies listed in the United States. …

The Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Ajay Tyagi urged mutual funds to avoid investing in crypto-related assets as the government considers new cryptocurrency rules. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Tyagi advised firms to refrain from investing in funds linked to crypto assets until there is clarity on the policy and regulatory framework. “Those who have invested in mutual funds, - in companies related to crypto assets or foreign firms through fund-of-funds (FOF) - my thinking is that till we get clarity on its (crypto's) policy, businesses should not make such investments,” said the …

Ongoing uncertainty around cryptocurrency regulation in India isn't stopping domestic crypto companies from launching global offerings. Indian cryptocurrency exchange CoinDCX is preparing to move forward with its global crypto-to-crypto trading platform — dubbed Cosmex — in 2022, according to a senior executive at the company. Ramalingam Subramanian, head of brand, marketing and communications at CoinDCX, told Cointelegraph that CoinDCX has significant ambitions regarding the exchange’s global expansion as its upcoming platform will target a global audience. The firm initially announced the development of Cosmex in February 2021, planning to expand CoinDCX’s footprint to the global markets amid the increasing global …

On Tuesday, BloombergQuint (Bloomberg India) reported that the penalty for non-compliance with the Indian government's crypto policies could range from a maximum fine of 20 crore rupees ($2.7 million USD) or 1.5 years in jail. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely give cryptocurrency investors a deadline to comply with new rules and declare their assets. Whilst the regulatory environment in the country holds a high degree of uncertainty, reports have indicated that investors' crypto must be soon be held in exchanges operating under the oversight of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, or SEBI. This would mean that private …

Do you remember the time when a fleeting mention of Bitcoin, stablecoins, or even central bank digital currencies by a top-ranking government official was considered major news all over the cryptoverse? Feels like It’s been forever. As we find ourselves in the midst of digital assets’ global mainstreaming, such statements come in droves every day and are expected. Randal Quarles, an outgoing member of the U.S. Fed’s board of governors, warned against overregulating stablecoins and even rebuked some of the conclusions that the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets had articulated in its November report. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen admitted …

According to reports from local media, the Indian government will not move for an outright ban on crypto and will instead regulate the sector. On Nov. 23, Cointelegraph reported that the Indian government was considering a bill proposing the creation of an official digital currency while imposing a ban on all “private” cryptocurrencies. The news sparked panic selling on local crypto exchange WazirX the following day, and the vague wording on the bill and lack of clarification from the government have since left many onlookers divided on the prospects for crypto in India. But Indian news outlet NDTV reported on …