By George Ward
The CBDC adoption rate in rural areas and regions without internet connectivity has hindered India’s quest to implement digital transactions. Hence, the central bank has begun exploring offline solutions to ensure inclusivity in its CBDC project.
Enhancing CBDC Adoption
Shaktikanta Das, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has reiterated the central bank’s pledge to enhance the availability of the digital rupee to all residents regardless of their location. The move stems from the RBA’s observation of low CBDC use cases in geographically isolated regions with limited access to the internet.
As a result, the RBI intends to explore innovative offline alternatives to facilitate the widespread implementation of CBDC in such areas. Furthermore, the central bank will comprehensively evaluate various offline methods, including proximity-based and non-proximity-based alternatives.
The assessment will encompass diverse topographies, including urban areas, rural regions, and rugged terrains. The objective is seamlessly incorporating offline functionality into CBDC-R, facilitating transactions in areas with limited or unreliable internet connectivity.
The RBA chief made the latest revelation during a review meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee on February 8. Das highlights the importance of implementing these offline features progressively via well-executed pilot initiatives to bolster CBDC adoption.
Re-programming The Digital Rupee
Additionally, the RBA Governor elaborated on the programmability component of the CBDC system. He disclosed that the existing functionality permits both person-to-person (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) exchanges to occur via digital rupee wallets issued by banks involved in the CBDC pilot phase.
The offline CBDC concept was initially proposed by Ajay Kumar Choudhary, the RBI’s executive director, in March 2023. Thus, preparations for its deployment commenced at that time.
Ahead of its implementation, the central bank declared its intention to assess the CBDC’s viability for international transactions and ascertain its compatibility with legacy systems in other nations.
Although offline functionality testing is underway for the digital rupee, it is crucial to acknowledge that offline capabilities are already present on established payment platforms, most notably the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Meanwhile, Siddharth Sogani, CEO of Crebaco, an Indian blockchain analytic startup, stated that the primary objective of CBDCs is to reduce reliance on physical cash within the financial ecosystem and enhance monetary oversight. Sogani’s sentiment aligns with the progressively global perspective about digital currencies and their role in modernizing financial institutions.
RBI’s Retail CBDC Launch
India’s central bank debuted the pilot program for its retail CBDC in December 2022. Following the launch, the banking regulator met its goal of facilitating one million daily transactions by December 2023.
This development marked a significant step forward in integrating and recognizing digital currencies in India’s banking industry. Moreover, the drive for CBDC projects is a common goal among established and developing economies, primarily focusing on improving financial stability and easing cross-border payment procedures.
These common aspirations reflect an international recognition of CBDCs’ ability to shape the future trajectory of monetary systems. Like the developed economies, developing countries are also planning to launch their CBDCs, focusing on using them to foster financial inclusion.
Given digital currencies’ potential to empower marginalized people, experts believe that CBDC will help developing countries integrate a larger demography into their financial system.