NEW DELHI, May 16 (Reuters) – India’s market watchdog has recommended that several regulators oversee trade in cryptocurrencies, documents show, the strongest signal to date that at least some authorities in the country are open to allowing the use of private virtual assets.
The position of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) contrasts with that of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which maintains that private digital currencies represent a macroeconomic risk, separate documents show.
Both sets of documents, which have been seen by Reuters, have been submitted to a government panel which is tasked with formulating policy for the finance ministry to consider. SEBI’s stance has not previously been reported.
India has taken a tough stance against cryptocurrencies since 2018, when the central bank prohibited lenders and other financial intermediaries from dealing with crypto users or exchanges though the move was later struck down by the Supreme Court.
Source: REUTER