RBI Digital Currency pilot has features backed by technology, says Minister

The Reserve Bank of India's Central Bank Digital Currency pilot in retail segment has components backed by the technology and has several common features with physical cash, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary told the Lok Sabha on Monday.

CBDCs, a digital form of currency notes issued by a central bank, are being trialed in India. The RBI launched a pilot for the retail segment for a group of participating customers and merchants on December 1.

The Union Minister did not elaborate further on the use ofBlockchain technology for CBDCs, but he added that the Digital Rupee'' as the pilot of the CBDC has several features of the physical currency.

It is a digital rupee that is issued in the same denomination as the paper currency and coins. The official government communique said it offers features of physical cash like trust, safety and settlement finality.

The Minister said that the CBDC will not earn any interest but can be converted into bank deposits.

The trial began on November 1 for the settlement of secondary market transactions in government securities, and it is expected to make the inter-bank market more efficient, according to the Minister, who told the Lok Sabha.

Settlement in central bank money would reduce transaction costs by pre-empting the need for settlement guarantee infrastructure or collateral to mitigate settlement risk, he noted.

On October 7th this year, the RBI released a concept note on CBDC, which discussed key considerations such as technology and design choices, possible use cases and issuance mechanisms.