TechFlow news, May 29 — According to Cointelegraph, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced in its 2024–25 annual report that it will expand the digital rupee (CBDC) pilot program by introducing new features such as programmability and offline payments for both the retail (e₹-Retail) and wholesale (e₹-Wholesale) versions. These features aim to enhance the usability of the digital rupee in areas with limited internet connectivity and enable customized payment solutions for specific use cases like government subsidies or corporate expense controls.
Currently, the e₹-Retail pilot has reached 600,000 users across 17 banks, and the RBI has also permitted "specific non-bank entities to offer CBDC wallets" to further broaden adoption. The e₹-Wholesale pilot has similarly attracted more participants, including four newly added independent primary dealers.
During the same period, digital payment transaction volume in India grew by 34.8%, with transaction value increasing by 17.9%. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has positioned India as a global leader in real-time payments, handling 48.5% of global real-time payment transactions. The RBI has also introduced innovative features such as "delegated payments," further expanding the reach of digital payments across all segments of society.
