Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there was complete harmony with which her department was working with Reserve Bank of India on all issues, including cryptocurrencies. She said there is a respect towards each other’s domain and priorities keeping the nation’s interests in mind.
“Not just on crypto, but on every other thing as well. I think there’s complete harmony with which we’re working, respecting each other’s domain and also knowing what we’ve to do with each other’s priorities and in the interest of the nation. There’s no turfing here,” Sitharaman was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said the issue of cryptocurrency was under discussion internally between the central bank and the government.
“Whatever points we have, we have discussed with the government. Beyond that I think I will not like to further elaborate,” Das said.
Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget on February 1, said a digital currency will be issued by the RBI in 2022-23 using the blockchain technology. She added that it will give a big boost to the economy. The government also proposed to amend the RBI Act to include the central bank digital currency (CBDC) alongside traditional banknotes.
Recently, Das said private cryptocurrencies were a threat to macroeconomy and financial stability, and would undermine the central bank’s ability to deal with challenges on the two fronts. In a message for investors, Das said such assets have no underlying whatsoever, “not even a tulip”.
