Media365
The RBI plans to expand the use of the digital rupee in welfare payouts and cross-border transactions, while also scaling CBDC pilots and financial cloud infrastructure despite a decline in retail e-rupee circulation
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is looking to expand the use of the digital rupee in welfare payments and cross-border transactions, signalling a broader push to deepen adoption of the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) despite a slowdown in retail circulation.
In its 2025-26 annual report released on Friday, the RBI said it had conducted multiple welfare-linked CBDC pilot programmes during the financial year in states and Union Territories including Gujarat, Puducherry and Chandigarh, where beneficiaries received food subsidies through the e-rupee.
The central bank said several government agencies had also begun testing direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes using the programmable features of the CBDC.
First Published:
May 29, 2026, 14:00 IST
End of Article
