India has led the way for the adoption of cryptocurrencies. This is for the second year in a row. Yet the country has some of the most confusing regulations on crypto currency and often changes its approach to them. In the following text, we discuss the current state of cryptocurrency in the country.
For a second year running, India has led the way in the adoption of global crypto currencies. The report looked at 151 countries, dividing them into four smaller categories. From June 2023 to July 2024, India ranked extremely high on the use of decentralized finance assets and centralized exchanges. This is despite some tough measures from the government designed to sway people from cryptocurrency adoption. These have included high trading taxes.
India’s Crypto Adoption Rates
Of the top twenty countries on the global adoption rate list, seven of them were from southern and central Asia. This also included Vietnam, the Phillipines, and Indonesia. Most of the transactions recorded were in retail-size volumes, being transactions under $10,000.
Despite adoption rates, India’s Ministry of Finance has said that there are currently no proposals to legislate the sale of digital assets. This has followed a series of mixed messages from the government on how they see the future of cryptocurrency and its use within the country.
A question as raised by Lok Sabha by GM Harish Balayogi in the lower parliament. Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, did say that their countries virtual digital asset service providers have been clamping down on certain entities. This suggested a further policy of clamping down on crypto use, one previously followed, as opposed to adoption.
The Minister of State was also given a request for the number of digital assets held by companies and Indian citizens. He replied that, as the sector is unregulated, they do not have that information.
Changing Regulatory Pressures
India has so far had an extremely hard stance on cryptocurrency. Since 2018, its Financial Intelligence Unit (FSU) has targeted nine offshore cryptocurrency exchanges for non-compliance with local laws. However, the country has been more lenient towards exchanges that have decided to register in the country.
They are also bound by the G20 to follow a roadmap on cryptocurrency adoption. However, it is not yet known if this is something the government has pursued. This was set up in 2023 during India’s presidency of the G20 summit. All countries were required to evaluate their characteristics and risks to consider the necessary measures for cryptocurrency assets. There were nine high-level guidelines published by the Financial Stability Board. These included regulatory framework, governance, and, at number six, data collection, recording, and reporting. With the Minister of Finance’s comment on a lack of data, it shows that India has failed to follow their own guidelines.
In 2021, India also had a planned crypto bill. Prior to this, the Reserve Bank of India had issued a circular to registered entities, telling them that a ban was in place on dealing in cryptocurrency. This effectively banned any bank from providing crypto services. However, this was overturned by the Supreme Court, who said the central bank should not issue a ruling like this, as there was no legislation in place. A bill was planned but never followed.
India has some of the most confusing laws on cryptocurrency and operates in an almost gray area that is occasionally penalized by the ruling bank and government. It has a very high capital gain tax on crypto at 30%, with a 1% tax on all transactions.
Even when the country banned most of the major offshore exchanges and blocked their URLs for Indian customers, consumers found it easy to get around. Anyone who had already downloaded the apps could still access the services. In some cases, even new exchanges could still be downloaded in the country.
Clearer Regulations and Their Benefits
There are also voices who are asking for more regulatory clarity in the hope that it will benefit the country. They believe the system of high taxes without clear rules is simply sending people to offshore exchanges. More clarity and a reduced tax system could help innovation, particularly with blockchain technology.
It is apparent that India’s government needs a clearer look at how cryptocurrency is being used in the country. Instead of applying an iron grip on taxes and exchanges, regulation could help clear this up.
One nation of note on the list of fastly adopting nations was Indonesia. Its approach has been to ban the use of crypto as a means of payment. However, it is legal to invest in them as an asset. In the 12-month proceeding July, $157.1 billion of inflows were recorded in the country. This is an approach India could begin to adopt as it transitions to a more open and regulated crypto economy. With the right development, it could begin to use crypto, tokenization, and the blockchain for positive effects, as has been seen in other world economies.
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