India's Digital Rupee Pilot Onboards 1.3 Million Users, 300,000 Merchants

Central banks worldwide are actively engaged in researching, testing, and piloting central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), with several nations already introducing digital money for public use. However, despite the growing interest, the daily adoption among citizens remains limited.

CBDCs offer several clear advantages. They enable governments and central banks to implement monetary policies more efficiently, making processes like tax deductions and foreign investment regulations automatic. Additionally, CBDCs reduce the costs and complexities associated with printing and managing physical cash.

India, known for its digital payment success with UPI, is now aiming for its next milestone with programmable digital money. The country launched its Digital Rupee pilot in December 2022, and by early 2024, it had onboarded 1.3 million users and over 300,000 merchants. The pilot uses a token-based offline model and integrates smoothly with existing digital infrastructure like UPI and Aadhaar.

According to Aishwary Gupta, Global Head of Payments at Polygon Labs, different countries are learning from their CBDC experiments. “As of 2024, over 130 countries, representing 98% of global GDP, are exploring CBDCs,” Gupta said in an interview. “But adoption is uneven. China’s e-CNY has over 260 million wallets and processed more than $250 billion, but its daily usage remains limited. Nigeria’s eNaira has struggled with adoption, mainly due to trust and utility gaps.”

Gupta attributes India’s early success to its strong digital infrastructure and public-private collaboration. He believes CBDCs must address real-world challenges like financial inclusion and remittances while preserving privacy to gain public trust. “Public-private partnerships, strong identity frameworks, and clear communication are key. Ultimately, trust in CBDCs is not built through issuance, but through design, transparency, and impact,” the expert said.

While central banks maintain that CBDCs are meant to complement cash, not replace it, critics argue they could eventually tighten government control over monetary systems. As the world moves toward tokenized assets and decentralized technologies, concerns around privacy, surveillance, and financial freedom in a CBDC-driven economy continue to grow.

The global CBDC experiment is still in its early stages, but the conversations around trust, privacy, and the role of central banks in a digital future are only getting louder. India’s Digital Rupee pilot sets a benchmark for CBDC rollouts, demonstrating the potential for widespread adoption and integration with existing digital infrastructure. The success of India’s pilot highlights the importance of strong digital foundations, public-private collaboration, and addressing real-world challenges to build trust in CBDCs. As more countries explore and implement CBDCs, the lessons learned from India’s experience will be crucial in shaping the future of digital currencies.