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India has the potential to facilitate efficient cross-border payments using Central Bank Digital Currency according to the Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das.
According to a local <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/industry/banks/story/rbi-gov-das-calls-for-reduction-of-time-cost-of-overseas-remittances-expanding-rtgs-for-dollar-euro-transactions-449888-2024-10-14" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">report</a>, during his keynote address at the conference on Central Banking at Crossroads, Das reaffirmed his support for CBDCs to improve international money transfers, as a part of ongoing efforts to cut the time and cost of overseas remittances.
Das highlighted that India is one of the few large economies operating a 24×7 real-time gross settlement system, adding that expanding the RTGS system to settle trades in global currencies such as the US Dollar, Euro, and British Pound is currently under review.&nbsp;
This, according to Das, could be achieved through bilateral or multilateral arrangements to simplify global transactions, with CBDCs potentially integrated into this expansion.
He added that India’s CBDC pilot programs are currently testing programmability and interoperability with existing infrastructures like the Unified Payments Interface, a platform that facilitates near-instant settlements between banks.
Additionally, the pilot program is working to develop offline solutions for “remote areas and underserved communities,” according to the RBI governor.&nbsp;
You might also like: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://crypto.news/indias-cbdc-platform-hits-5m-users-20-months-after-pilot-launch/"> India’s CBDC platform hits 5m users 20 months after pilot launch </a>
The RBI initially <a href="https://crypto.news/india-explores-new-features-for-cbdc-amid-weak-retail-activity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">announced</a> these features in September 2023, noting that it was collaborating with major financial institutions to introduce them as part of efforts to popularize CBDC.
Das also <a href="https://crypto.news/india-rbi-governor-shaktikanta-crypto-remain-unchanged/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reiterated</a> his skepticism around cryptocurrencies, pointing to the uncertain landscape they create. According to him, CBDCs offer a controlled and stable digital currency, in contrast to the volatility of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.&nbsp;
The governor acknowledged the challenges related to developing a universal CBDC framework and called for the creation of a standardized and interoperable CBDC framework, that would allow nations to build their own systems that fit into a global network.
India launched its CBDC pilot for the digital rupee in December 2022, covering both retail and wholesale segments. However, adoption has been slow, with the digital rupee <a href="https://crypto.news/indias-cbdc-activity-declines-sharply-after-artificial-pump-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reaching 1 million retail transactions</a> by late June 2023 only after local banks introduced incentives and partially paid salaries in digital currency to drive usage, <a href="https://crypto.news/indias-cbdc-activity-declines-sharply-after-artificial-pump-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">raising doubts</a> about actual user adoption moving forward.
As of the latest update, the CBDC platform <a href="https://crypto.news/indias-cbdc-platform-hits-5m-users-20-months-after-pilot-launch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">surpassed</a> 5 million users in August, with Das advocating for a phased rollout, stressing the importance of understanding its impact on users, monetary policy, and the broader financial system.
Meanwhile, the RBI has remained firm in its <a href="https://crypto.news/india-rbi-governor-shaktikanta-crypto-remain-unchanged/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">opposition</a> to cryptocurrencies, pointing to the potential <a href="https://crypto.news/indian-finance-minister-crypto-isnt-currency-g20-must-regulate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">risks they pose</a> to the country’s economic stability. Back in 2022, Das expressed <a href="https://rbi.org.in/Scripts/BS_SpeechesView.aspx?Id=1196" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">concerns</a> about the lack of intrinsic value in cryptocurrencies.
Read more: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://crypto.news/indias-central-bank-sees-risks-in-cbdc-amid-financial-crisis/"> India’s central bank sees risks in CBDC amid financial crisis </a>

RBI governor touts CBDC to enhance cross-border payments and safeguard against crypto risks

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