ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

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Central Bank Digital Currency - The ‘digital rupee’ in India

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is a digital counterpart of government-backed fiat money. This kind of digital currency is connected to the nation's currency and issued by its central bank. The same would be the case with the ‘digital rupee’ in India as it will be backed by the central bank of India, i.e. RBI. The development of CBDCs is underway in more than 100 nations across the world, and it is in various phases. Some countries have already released their digital currencies, while some have abandoned or stopped working on their initiatives. Despite being strongly inspired by bitcoins, the idea of CBDCs differs from decentralised virtual currencies and crypto assets, which are not issued by the government and do not have the status of "legal tender." With the rising demand for cryptocurrencies, there is a rise in the government's concerns about the risks associated with the same and its tendency to facilitate money laundering and other forms of criminal financing, and thus the concept of CBDC is gaining momentum. Even though the RBI supports the growth of virtual and online currencies, it does not support ones like bitcoin because it is impossible to monitor their end-use. It is preferred to introduce CBDC in order to track end-to-end virtual currency usage. The article sheds light on what digital currency is, how it differs from cryptocurrencies, why it has had such a surge in popularity recently, as well as the problems and risks that come with using it.

Cryptocurrency

Consequent to the lifting of the “ban” imposed on the trade of crypto-assets by the Supreme Court of India, there has been a surge of interest in investing in crypto-assets from the general public, spurred by aggressive marketing campaigns by well-funded start-ups. In the absence of proper regulation, there is a very real danger that the public may be mis-sold this product with harm to the wider economy.

 

Reconciling Blockchain and Data Protection Regimes

The emergence and spread of blockchain technology will have a profound effect on the working of the economy and society. The focus of this article is on how the spread of the blockchain technology has rendered redundant the various provisions of the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019.

 

A Social Theory of Money

Money by Geoffrey Ingham, Cambridge: UK, Polity, 2020; pp 154, £45 (hardback), £14.99 (paperback).

 

The Market for Cryptocurrencies

The growing market for cryptocurrencies, when viewed through the lens of Nobel Laureate F A Hayek’s radical idea of abolishing governmental monopoly over currency and introducing unregulated private currencies, reveals fascinating insights. Though over four decades apart, the resemblances and the dialectics of the two radical developments are uncanny.

Minting Pure Reason

Bitcoins for the first time provide a practical electronic alternative to currency. While there can be no guarantee that bitcoins will continue to have a positive value, the decentralised nature of the Bitcoin network makes it a strong competitor to established online payment systems.

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