FM urges RBI to advance CBDC, sharpen digital Rupee capabilities amid tokenisation push
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged the RBI to accelerate the development of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and enhance digital Rupee capabilities. She emphasized the importance of CBDC in facilitating secure, instantaneous tokenized transactions amid advancements in AI and quantum computing.
Why it matters
Advancing CBDC infrastructure is a strategic priority for India's financial modernization and digital economy security.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday (September 11, 2026) urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to further advance its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) initiatives and sharpen its capabilities with the digital Rupee, amid rapid developments in tokenisation, agentic AI and quantum computing.
The Finance Minister also flagged cybersecurity, urging the financial services ecosystem to pay sufficient attention to the issue and warned that the capabilities of autonomous systems powered by Artificial Intelligence are growing faster.
"I urge the RBI to further advance and also develop what it has initiated through both the wholesale and retail CBDC pilots. Sensing the momentum in this fall and across global markets, the RBI needs to continue to sharpen its capabilities with the digital Rupee," Ms. Sitharaman said while addressing the Global Fintech Fest 2026.
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