India to Launch Central Bank Digital Currency
India's central bank plans to launch a virtual version of the rupee in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, which begins on April 1.The announcement of the country's central bank digital currency (CBDC) came at the same time that India said it will impose a 30% tax on income gained from digital assets.In launching a CBDC, India joins a growing list of countries to issue national digital currencies.
In the announcement, India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman suggested that the virtual rupee would provide a «big boost» to India's digital economy, leading to a «more efficient and cheaper currency management system.» Details about the way that the digital rupee will function are scarce, as is a definitive launch date.
The announcement of a digital rupee comes as the cryptocurrency community has prepared for crackdowns on digital tokens by the Indian government, including rumors that the country would ban cryptocurrencies entirely. News that India plans to increase crypto regulation through a tax on digital asset income may suggest that an outright ban is unlikely for the time being.
India joins a growing group of nations to explore launching CBDCs. Just one day before India's announcement, the central bank of Jamaica said that it would roll out a national digital token in the first quarter of 2022 in an effort to reduce transaction costs and offer financial services to citizens who do not otherwise use banks. Eastern Caribbean nations including Grenada, Saint Lucia, Antigua, and others launched a digital currency in 2021 called DCash.Japan, China, and the United States have also reportedly explored the possibility of launching CBDCs.
The rise of CBDCs on a global scale calls into question the importance of decentralization and
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