india

According to market news, CoinDCX CEO Sumit Gupta revealed that Indian crypto investors are buying Bitcoin and other L1 project tokens (such as Ethereum, Solana, and XRP) on dips and maintaining a diversified portfolio.Unlike the speculative behavior in 2021 that chased high returns, current investors are more focused on fundamentals and long-term value, making more rational investments through systematic investment plans and limit orders. The Indian government takes a cautious regulatory approach to crypto assets, viewing them as taxable virtual digital assets (VDA). The 2026 budget continues to maintain a 30% tax on crypto gains and a 1% transaction source tax, while strengthening compliance requirements for transaction disclosures.

As the rotating chair of the BRICS nations, the Reserve Bank of India has officially proposed to promote the establishment of a "BRICS Digital Currency Interconnection" system, aiming to utilize blockchain technology to create a cross-border settlement network that can bypass the US dollar and directly connect the payment systems of BRICS countries.This plan is not about issuing a brand new "BRICS currency," but is closer to a practical interconnected platform/settlement bridge, potentially based on a permissioned blockchain (consortium chain) architecture, with central banks of various countries jointly acting as verification nodes to maintain a distributed ledger, enhancing the efficiency and transparency of cross-border settlements while ensuring sovereign control.

The President of the United States, Trump, announced a trade agreement with India. According to the agreement, the U.S. will significantly reduce tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18% in exchange for India lowering trade barriers, stopping the purchase of Russian oil, and instead buying oil from the U.S. and possibly Venezuela. Trump stated that Indian Prime Minister Modi has committed to significantly increasing "buying American," including energy, technology, and agricultural products worth over $500 billion.Under the agreement, the U.S. will eliminate the previously imposed 25% punitive tariff on India for purchasing Russian oil. Additionally, Modi stated that this agreement will allow "Make in India" products to enjoy lower tariffs and expressed gratitude to Trump.Analysts believe that this move will align India's tariff levels with those of other Asian countries, helping to eliminate the drag on Indian exports and the rupee exchange rate. The Indian Minister of Trade also stated that this agreement will bring more development opportunities for the Indian economy.It is worth noting that the details of this agreement have not been fully disclosed, including the specific timeline for tariff reductions and the list of U.S. goods that India has committed to purchasing. At the same time, Trump hinted that India might replace some of its Russian oil imports by purchasing oil from Venezuela.

According to Cointelegraph, India is exploring the cross-border use of the digital rupee (e-rupee) to reduce payment costs, enhance trade settlement efficiency, and expand the global role of the rupee.The report states that as a sovereign digital currency issued by the Reserve Bank of India, the e-rupee enables direct and final settlement without relying on multiple intermediaries in international payments. Currently, India has proposed linking the e-rupee with the central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) of other countries, particularly those in the BRICS, to streamline cross-border trade, remittances, and tourism settlements.

According to CoinDesk, India's federal budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 maintains the existing 30% cryptocurrency capital gains tax and 1% withholding tax, disappointing industry groups that had sought tax reductions. The government did not adjust the tax rates but proposed new penalties for entities that fail to properly report cryptocurrency transactions under Section 509 of the Income Tax Act starting from April 1, 2026.Failure to submit the required reports will incur a daily fine of 200 rupees (approximately $2.2) until the non-compliance ends. If the submitted information is incorrect, or if errors are not corrected after being discovered, a fixed penalty of 50,000 rupees (approximately $545) will be imposed. Officials stated that this move aims to strengthen compliance, but market participants warn that it will continue to create friction for traders.

According to India Today, the Indian Enforcement Directorate has arrested two individuals related to the BitConnect cryptocurrency scam, which involves global fraud, kidnapping, and extortion, with amounts reaching thousands of bitcoins and tens of millions of rupees in cash.The arrested individuals, Nikunj Pravinbhai Bhatt and Sanjay Kotadia, are suspected of being involved in a kidnapping and extortion case, where the victim was forced to hand over 2,254 bitcoins, 11,000 litecoins, and approximately 1.45 billion rupees in cash. Some of the extorted bitcoins were converted into ETH and USDT and transferred through multiple wallets. The Indian Enforcement Directorate has frozen and seized assets worth approximately 1.9 billion rupees, including cryptocurrency assets, stocks, and cash; to date, the total value of seized or frozen assets in this case is around 21.7 billion rupees. The investigation is still ongoing. The Indian Enforcement Directorate stated that BitConnect presented itself as a high-return investment platform, claiming that its self-developed volatility trading robot could generate returns of up to 40% per month. The agency indicated that these claims are entirely fictitious, aimed at creating a false illusion of growth, including posting about a 1% fictitious daily return rate on its website.

According to The Economic Times, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Indian Ministry of Finance has requested domestic cryptocurrency exchanges and platforms to stop offering anonymous enhanced cryptocurrencies (ACE), prohibiting the deposit or withdrawal of related tokens, and categorizing them as "unacceptable assets" under the risk mitigation framework.The FIU also warned that using tools like "tumblers" and "mixers" to mix coins, as well as transferring to self-custody wallets, could allow funds from sanctioned or blacklisted addresses to flow into the system, making them difficult to trace. Platforms are required to collect data related to non-custodial wallets and assess whether to set limits on such transfers.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is pushing for a plan to connect central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) among BRICS countries, aimed at simplifying cross-border trade and tourism while reducing the dominance of the US dollar.Sources say that the Reserve Bank of India has urged the proposal to establish a CBDC interlinking system to be included in the agenda of the BRICS summit that India will host in 2026. This will be the first formal attempt by BRICS members to establish CBDC links, which include Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, as well as new member countries such as the UAE, Iran, and Indonesia.

According to Jinshi reports, sources revealed that the Reserve Bank of India proposed that BRICS member countries interconnect their digital currencies for cross-border payments. The Reserve Bank of India has requested the government to include this proposal in the agenda for the 2026 BRICS summit.

According to Cointelegraph, the Indian enforcement agency has frozen assets worth $1.3 million, including cryptocurrency assets, related to a fraud case valued at $3.2 million.

According to CoinDesk, India's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has announced stricter identity verification measures for cryptocurrency exchanges to combat money laundering and terrorist financing activities.The new regulations require exchanges to verify the authenticity and biometric features of users by having them take a blinking dynamic selfie, while accurately recording the user's geographic coordinates, time, and IP address. In addition to providing a Permanent Account Number (PAN), exchanges must also collect additional documents such as passports, driver's licenses, identity cards (Aadhaar card), or voter ID cards, as well as mobile phone numbers and email addresses, which will be confirmed via one-time passwords (OTPs). Ownership of user bank accounts will be verified through a "small credit verification" method, while high-risk customers or those associated with tax havens, jurisdictions related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), or potential risk exposure individuals or non-profit organizations will need to undergo enhanced due diligence every six months.Exchanges are prohibited from supporting ICOs and from using tools like mixers to obscure transaction trails, making cryptocurrencies untraceable. All platforms must register with the Financial Intelligence Unit, report suspicious transactions, and retain user data for five years. The guidelines indicate that initial coin offerings and initial token sales lack reasonable economic justification and pose "higher and more complex" risks of money laundering and terrorist financing.

The Indian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has released new guidelines tightening the user registration rules for cryptocurrency platforms.The new regulations require regulated cryptocurrency trading platforms to verify user identities through real-time selfies and geolocation. The real-time selfies must track the user's eye and head movements to prevent the use of AI deepfake technology to bypass the KYC verification process. Additionally, Indian trading platforms must collect geolocation and IP addresses at the time of account creation, as well as a timestamp of the account creation. Users are now required to submit additional government-issued photo identification to the trading platform and verify their email and phone numbers in order to create an account on the cryptocurrency trading platform.

The Indian financial authorities have reiterated their concerns about cryptocurrency trading, warning that it could complicate tax enforcement. The Indian tax department stated that offshore trading platforms, private wallets, and DeFi tools pose risks that could make tracking cryptocurrency income "almost impossible." Cryptocurrencies allow for "anonymous, borderless, and nearly instant" value transfers, enabling individuals to move funds without regulated financial intermediaries.India currently imposes a flat tax of 30% on profits from all cryptocurrency activities, and additionally, all transfers (regardless of profit) are subject to a 1% withholding tax. While India officially allows cryptocurrency trading under a high tax regime and has approved the return of major U.S. exchange Coinbase in 2025, the Indian government's overall stance on cryptocurrencies remains cautious and complex.

Indian financial authorities have reiterated their concerns about cryptocurrency trading, warning that it could complicate tax enforcement. The Indian tax department stated that offshore trading platforms, private wallets, and DeFi tools pose risks that could make tracking cryptocurrency income "almost impossible." Cryptocurrencies enable "anonymous, borderless, and nearly instantaneous" value transfers, allowing individuals to move funds without regulated financial intermediaries.India currently imposes a flat tax of 30% on profits from all cryptocurrency activities, and additionally, all transfers (regardless of profitability) are subject to a 1% withholding tax. While India officially allows cryptocurrency trading under a high tax regime and has approved the return of major U.S. exchange Coinbase in 2025, the Indian government's overall stance on cryptocurrencies remains cautious and complex.

According to Financefeeds, the latest annual report from the Indian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU-IND) shows that 49 cryptocurrency exchanges have successfully registered as reporting entities under the anti-money laundering framework, of which 45 are domestic companies and 4 are overseas platforms. The FIU requires all registered exchanges to monitor and report suspicious transactions, identify the actual owners of wallets, and track the flow of funds.In the fiscal year 2024-25, regulators imposed a total fine of 280 million rupees on non-compliant platforms and blocked 25 unregistered offshore exchanges, including BitMEX, LBank, and Phemex. Meanwhile, five major overseas exchanges, including Binance and Coinbase, have completed registration and continue to serve Indian users. The FIU plans to further strengthen regulation by requiring exchanges to conduct regular risk assessments and sanctions screening, making India one of the markets with the strictest regulations on cryptocurrency asset trading globally.

According to Cointelegraph, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has urged countries to prioritize the development of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) over privately issued stablecoins, citing concerns that the latter could affect financial stability.In its December Financial Stability Report, the Reserve Bank of India pointed out that CBDCs can maintain "the singularity of currency and the integrity of the financial system," and should continue to serve as "the ultimate settlement asset" and "the cornerstone of trust in currency." "Therefore, the Reserve Bank of India strongly recommends that countries prioritize the development of CBDCs over privately issued stablecoins to maintain trust in currency, ensure financial stability, and build a faster, cheaper, and safer next-generation payment infrastructure." The Reserve Bank of India also noted that the introduction of stablecoins could create new channels for financial stability risks, especially during periods of market stress. Therefore, "countries must seriously assess the associated risks and develop policy responses suitable for their own financial systems."

According to a Reuters report, the Reserve Bank of India released a financial stability report stating that the bad loan ratio in the Indian banking system is expected to decline to 1.9% in the fiscal year 2026-27, down from 2.1% in September 2025. However, the risks for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) are rising, with their bad loan ratio expected to increase from 2.3% to 2.9%.The report also reiterated concerns about stablecoins, emphasizing that stablecoins pose risks to macro-financial stability and supporting the priority development of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) by countries to maintain financial order.

Indian police have arrested a former Coinbase customer service representative in Hyderabad, who is suspected of being involved in the insider data breach incident disclosed by Coinbase in May of this year. This is the first known arrest in the case, confirmed by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.The incident dates back to December 2024, and investigations show that cybercriminals obtained access to internal systems by bribing overseas customer service personnel, stealing sensitive information from 69,461 users, including names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, and government-issued identification documents. Coinbase stated that the attackers attempted to extort $20 million, which the company refused to pay, instead establishing a reward program of the same amount to track down and apprehend those involved.In its Q2 financial report, Coinbase disclosed that the incident has resulted in $307 million in related expenses, covering user compensation, legal fees, and security upgrade costs. Additionally, Coinbase is currently facing a class-action lawsuit from shareholders, alleging that it failed to disclose the incident in a timely manner, misleading investors. Coinbase stated that it will continue to cooperate with international law enforcement agencies in the investigation, suggesting that further arrests may follow.