Reserve Bank of India, vide, its Press Release dated February 01, 2017 has advised that it has not given any license / authorization to any entity / company to operate schemes or to deal with Bitcoin or any virtual currency. As such, any user, holder, investor, trader, etc. dealing with Virtual Currencies will be doing so at their own risk.

Reserve Bank of India had issued cautionary advice to the users, holders and traders of Virtual Currencies (VCs) including Bitcoins about the potential financial, operational, legal, customer protection and security related risks that they are exposing themselves to , vide, its press release dated December 24, 2013.

The creation, trading or usage of VCs including Bitcoins, as a medium of payment is not authorized by any central bank or monetary authority. No regulatory approval, registration or authorisation have been obtained by the entities concerned for carrying on such activities.

The absence of counter parties in the usage of VCs including Bitcoins, for illicit and illegal activities in anonymous/ pseudonymous systems could subject the users to unintentional breaches of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) laws.

This was stated by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

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DSM/KA