India’s government is reportedly reviewing modalities for banning or regulating cryptocurrencies in the country. According to Bloomberg Quint, reports indicate that the government is in talks with financial regulators and industry stakeholders to examine the provisions of an earlier proposal that effectively called for a blanket prohibition of crypto in India. Back in February, several reports out of India stoked fears of a possible crypto ban that has so far failed to materialize. Instead, the emerging narrative out of the country is that the authorities are considering a more nuanced approach to cryptocurrency regulations, with blanker prohibitions out of the …

The tide may have finally turned for cryptocurrencies in India as reports indicate a softer stance by the government toward crypto. According to a report by The New Indian Express on Thursday, the government’s hostile stance toward Bitcoin (BTC) appears to be shifting toward more common-sense regulatory policies for cryptocurrencies. According to inside sources quoted by the publication, authorities have dropped earlier plans for a blanket Bitcoin ban in favor of classifying cryptocurrencies as an alternative asset class. The Securities and Exchange Board of India will reportedly be tasked with overseeing crypto regulations in the country in collaboration with the …

Some of the biggest names in the crypto exchange business are reportedly eager to capture India’s cryptocurrency trading market, even as the government is yet to issue clear-cut regulatory policies. According to Reuters, sources say Kraken, Bitfinex and KuCoin are examining the potential for setting up shop in India. Crypto exchange giant Binance entered the Indian market back in 2019, acquiring one of the country’s most recognizable cryptocurrency trading platforms WazirX. The aforementioned trio could also pursue a similar entry strategy by acquiring or forming strategic partnerships with other Indian crypto exchanges. According to the Reuters source, these global exchanges …

Indian technology mogul Nandan Nilekani has urged local lawmakers to allow citizens to speculate on crypto assets. Nilekani, the co-founder and chair of Infosys — an Indian multinational information technology firm — urged regulators to embrace digital assets and get a handle on accommodating the technology. Speaking to the Financial Times, Nilekani warned that prohibitive regulations could result in significant missed opportunities for India, asserting that a more permissive approach would let the country tap into the $1.7 trillion digital-asset market and allow "crypto guys to put their wealth into India’s economy." However, Nilekani is not bullish on an unfettered …

Its infamous circular directing banks to cease servicing crypto firms may have been overturned in the courts but India's central bank is showing no signs of softening its stance towards cryptocurrencies. Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das reiterated the institution's position in a recent press conference following a statement on monetary policy, stressing: “We have major concerns around cryptocurrency, which we have conveyed to the government.” The governor's comments come after the Reserve Bank of India had been prompted to clarify that banks should not continue to cite the Reserve Bank of India's now-defunct circular as grounds for refusing …

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 …

Reports are emerging that India’s government may be reconsidering its stance on cryptocurrencies with the formation of a new regulatory panel. A May 19 report in the Economic Times, cited three sources privy to discussion on the formation of a fresh panel of experts with a view to regulating cryptocurrency trading in India. The move comes amid increasing support for overturning recommendations made by a committee led by former finance secretary Subhash Garg in 2019 for a blanket ban on crypto assets on the grounds they have become outdated. The report quoted an unnamed official with knowledge of the matter …

For most of the last decade, India’s stance on cryptocurrencies has been uncertain, to say the least. The current soft ban is hurting the country’s potential every day, but recent reports suggest the country is having second thoughts. In March this year, a notification published by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs stated that companies dealing in cryptocurrencies would have to disclose their holdings to the government in financial statements. Crypto-holding companies will also have to disclose total profits and losses, as well as any deposits or advances received from other traders and investors. Just two weeks earlier, there was a …

Nischal Shetty, CEO of Indian crypto exchange WazirX, and other stakeholders in the industry are reportedly working toward convincing the government to adopt more nuanced cryptocurrency regulations. According to a report by The Economic Times, the country’s Blockchain and Crypto Council has drafted a presentation note highlighting recommendations for cryptocurrency regulations in India. The regulatory framework proposed by the council — which is an arm of the Internet and Mobile Association of India, or IAMAI — reportedly contains measures to address issues like money laundering and threats to rupee monetary sovereignty in the country. For Shetty, the proactive approach adopted …

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 …

Prominent Indian entrepreneur and government advisor Nandan Nilekani has spoken in favor of cryptocurrencies as the government reportedly mulls a ban on private digital assets. Nilekani joined a Clubhouse session with angel investor Balaji Srinivasan to discuss the state of crypto in India, local business news publication Moneycontrol reported Monday. Nilekani is a co-founder of major Indian tech company Infosys and the founding architect of the national biometric ID system, Aadhaar. He is also the chairman of a special Indian committee assessing digital payments in India and an advisor to several government agencies and the Reserve Bank of India. During …

The minister of finance of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, has given a ray of hope for the Indian cryptocurrency community as more fear, uncertainty and doubt circulate regarding a supposedly impending ban on digital assets. In a Saturday interview with India Today, Sitharaman emphasized that the ministry does not plan to shut off Indian innovations associated with Bitcoin (BTC) and its underlying blockchain technology. “From our side, we are very clear that we are not shutting all options off. We will allow certain windows for people use, so that experiments on the blockchain, Bitcoins or cryptocurrency [...] and fintech, which depend …