India’s government is considering adopting a stablecoin regulatory framework while the Reserve Bank of India urges a "cautious" approach. The government of India may consider stablecoin regulations in its Economic Survey 2025-2026, while the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) takes a “cautious” approach to crypto and pushes for a central bank digital currency (CBDC), revealing a divergence in policy recommendations. The government will “present its case” for stablecoins in the annual report published by India’s Ministry of Finance, which outlines key policy recommendations and the state of the economy, business publication MoneyControl reported, citing an official familiar with the matter. However, the central bank continues to urge a “cautious” approach to stablecoins, according to RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra. Speaking at the Delhi School of Economics on Thursday, he said: Read more
A landmark ruling granting XRP property status in India strengthens investor rights and boosts confidence in digital asset ownership. The case began when Rhutikumari, an XRP (XRP) holder, filed a petition against WazirX after the exchange froze her account containing 3,532.30 XRP worth approximately $9,400. The dispute stemmed from WazirX’s response to a July 2024 hack that led to the theft of about $235 million in assets. To manage the losses, WazirX proposed a controversial “socialization of losses” plan, which would distribute the financial impact proportionally across all user accounts. Rhutikumari challenged the plan, arguing that it infringed on her ownership rights. Read more
India doesn’t “encourage or discourage” crypto, it “only taxes it,” Minister Piyush Goyal said, while unveiling a new RBI-backed digital currency project. The Indian government expressed renewed skepticism toward cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as it prepared to launch new digital currency initiatives backed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). India will soon launch an RBI-backed digital currency, India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said in a roundtable during his visit to Qatar, local news agency The Hindu reported on Tuesday. In a separate development, the RBI plans to launch a pilot on deposit tokenization on Wednesday, RBI’s chief general manager of the fintech department, Suvendu Pati, reportedly said. Read more
India is reportedly delaying comprehensive crypto regulation as its central bank warns rules could legitimize digital assets and create systemic risks. Indian regulators are reportedly holding back from introducing comprehensive crypto rules over concerns that regulation could legitimize digital assets and create systemic risks. According to a Wednesday Reuters report citing documents the outlet’s reporters viewed, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) maintains the view that containing the risks posed by cryptocurrencies through regulation would be challenging. The document reportedly states that regulating cryptocurrencies would legitimize them and “cause the sector to become systemic.” An outright ban on cryptocurrencies, the document continued, would address the alarming risks of speculative crypto assets but could not tackle peer-to-peer transfers or trades on decentralised exchanges. Read more
What is India’s levy crypto tax, and how does it apply across various types of transactions, such as trading, selling or spending your crypto? For the financial year 2024-2025, Indian tax law treats cryptocurrencies as virtual digital assets (VDAs) under the Income Tax Act, 1961. Section 2(47A) spells out what that means: Any code, number, token or piece of information created through cryptography counts as a VDA. The only exception is money itself — Indian rupees or any other country’s fiat currency. VDAs include cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), as well as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and similar digital tokens. While it is legal to buy, sell and hold VDAs, they are not recognized as valid payment methods. Read more
Major Asian economies step on the stablecoin throttle, India’s reconsiders punitive crypto tax, and more. Major Asian economies are accelerating their stablecoin initiatives, with notable moves from Japan and China over the past week. Japans top financial regulator is reportedly preparing to approve the countrys first yen-pegged stablecoin within the year. The token, issued by fintech startup JPYC, will be backed by liquid assets such as government bonds. According to finance outlet Nikkei, JPYC is expected to register as a money-transfer business this month and aims to issue 1 trillion yen (about $6.81 billion) worth of stablecoins over the next three years. Read more
Major Asian economies step on the stablecoin throttle, India’s reconsiders punitive crypto tax, and more. Major Asian economies are accelerating their stablecoin initiatives, with notable moves from Japan and China over the past week. Japans top financial regulator is reportedly preparing to approve the countrys first yen-pegged stablecoin within the year. The token, issued by fintech startup JPYC, will be backed by liquid assets such as government bonds. According to finance outlet Nikkei, JPYC is expected to register as a money-transfer business this month and aims to issue 1 trillion yen (about $6.81 billion) worth of stablecoins over the next three years. Read more
Binance and WazirX face scrutiny as India investigates cross-border wallet flows and security risks. Globally, investigative agencies have been acting against illicit crypto funding. India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) is investigating the global cryptocurrency exchange Binance and the Indian exchange WazirX, focusing on potential loopholes in cross-border digital asset transfers. The investigation is driven by concerns about unregulated wallet transactions linked to accounts from Pakistan. Authorities are particularly worried about activities near sensitive areas like Jammu and Kashmir, where such transfers could be used for illegal funding or money laundering. They are also investigating the funds sent from India to addresses located outside the country. Read more
Hashed Emergent’s Vishal Achanta told Cointelegraph that COINS Act aims to turn India from a “regulatory minefield” into a destination of choice for the crypto community. Web3 venture firm Hashed Emergent and policy advisory group Black Dot have released a model crypto law aimed at clarifying India’s regulatory framework for digital assets. Announced Monday, the Crypto-systems Oversight, Innovation and Strategy (COINS) Act offers a legislative blueprint to support a clearer, industry-led policy environment for crypto in India. The model law is non-binding and does not carry any legal effect unless formally introduced and passed by the Indian parliament. Still, the framework offers policymakers a blueprint for crypto-related digital rights, including self-custody, protocol access and financial privacy. It also addresses key legal pain points in the country such as punitive taxation, regulatory uncertainty and the absence of a dedicated crypto regulator. The model law recommends the creation of a new regulato...
As the US and others explore Bitcoin reserves, India faces a pivotal choice: Can BTC boost macro resilience and digital leadership? The global push for Bitcoin as a reserve asset is gaining speed, with the US leading the way by establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in January 2025. By March, an executive order was signed to begin structuring the reserve, signaling a shift in policy direction. The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in the US will be funded by Bitcoin (BTC) confiscated from criminal activities and company bankruptcies. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Marshals Service will manage these assets. This action demonstrates a strategic decision to treat Bitcoin as a long-term store of value, similar to digital gold, rather than a short-term asset. Read more
A 30% tax on crypto profits in India is only part of the story. Traders face even bigger hurdles under the current tax regime. India’s Union Budget 2025 has made no changes in the existing tax rules for cryptocurrencies, maintaining the provisions of the Finance Act 2022 for virtual digital assets (VDAs) like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). Under Section 115BBH of the Income Tax Act, profits from selling VDAs are taxed at a flat rate of 30%. You can deduct only the purchase cost, with no allowance for other expenses or losses. Read more
India’s central bank is scaling up its digital rupee pilots with new features like programmability and offline payments, aiming for broader financial inclusion. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is set to broaden the reach of its digital rupee pilots by introducing new use cases and features for both its retail and wholesale central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), according to the central bank’s Annual Report for 2024–25. The central bank said it aims to explore programmability and offline capabilities for the digital rupee, features that may increase its applicability in areas with limited internet access and tailor payments for specific use cases such as government subsidies or corporate spending controls. Currently, both versions of the CBDC are undergoing pilot testing. The retail CBDC pilot is being conducted with select customers and merchants through participating banks, while the wholesale pilot is targeting use in the interbank market. Read more
India’s Supreme Court questioned the government’s failure to regulate cryptocurrencies despite taxing them, warning that Bitcoin and similar assets pose economic risks. India’s Supreme Court questioned the government’s lack of regulatory clarity on cryptocurrencies despite imposing taxes on digital assets like Bitcoin. According to the Indian legal news outlet LawChakra, the country’s Supreme Court expressed concern over the increasing use of Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies, which remain largely unregulated. “This is a whole parallel economy running with such coins, and it is a danger to the economy of the country,” Justice Surya Kant reportedly said during a recent hearing related to an ongoing investigation into a Bitcoin transaction. Read more