The Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021, which is scheduled to be tabled at the upcoming Union Budget session, aims “to create a facilitative framework for the creation of the official digital currency” and “prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India”.
The Union government is reportedly going to table a bill in the Budget Session of Parliament banning all private cryptocurrencies such as
Bitcoin in India and which will also deal with the creation of a legislative framework for an official digital currency. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is also exploring the option of issuing a digital version of the rupee, which could serve as the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), a booklet on payment systems has said.
Here’s what you need to know about cryptocurrencies and the government’s move to regulate it:
What are cryptocurrencies?
Cryptocurrencies are also known as convertible virtual currency, which can be exchanged for fiat currencies. However, not all virtual currency can be exchanged for conventional money and so not all virtual currency is convertible. Cryptocurrencies are not backed or regulated by central banks, like conventional currencies are. Anybody on the internet can mine or create and trade in them. In the United States dealing in cryptocurrencies invites taxation however, this is not the scenario everywhere else in the world. Unlike regular currency, cryptos have no physical entity and only exist online.
Bitcoin is the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, it has a convertible value, which has been witnessing record highs the past few months. It came into existence following the 2009 housing market crash. All bitcoin transactions are maintained in an open-source ledger that anyone can get access to. Bitcoins are convertible into US dollars.
