Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das and Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman cautioned that countries are rushing into cryptoassets, in the wake of Facebook’s handling of libra.
Das spoke on cryptoassets earlier in the week at the annual meeting for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Sitharaman told Indian reporters of the meeting,
On our side, the Reserve Bank Governor spoke about it during our turn to intervene. I got the sense that many countries were cautioning on rushing into this.
Das continued, explaining how some officials took issue with libra being labeled a ‘stablecoin,’
Some of them [countries] of course even suggested that they shouldn't be using, all of us shouldn't be using the name stable currency because that's the expression they used. Many cautioned to the extent saying even the name should not be stable currency, it should relate to virtual currency or something of the kind.
Sitharaman said the general consensus was that countries need to show “extreme” caution in the handling of digital currencies. However, she also admitted there were discussions about the benefits of digital currencies, saying that “presentations were also highlighting the strenghts of such virtual currency.”
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the organization is taking a “very balanced approach” to crypto-assets while being “mindful” of the risks they pose for consumers.
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