HDFC Bank Ltd. has begun cautioning its customers officially against dealing in virtual currencies, according to emails sent by the lender reviewed by BloombergQuint. These emails inquire about the customers’ virtual currency transactions and advise against such transactions citing a 2018 circular from the Reserve Bank of India, which was later struck down by the Supreme Court.
Social media is a lifeline for desperate Indians. And a threat for Narendra Modi
On most days, Network Capital, a business networking group with over 67,000 members on Facebook, focuses on providing its community with information on job vacancies, higher education, and careers.
Recently, however, the group has been flooded with posts from users looking for hospital beds, oxygen and medicines, as a devastating second wave of Covid-19 sweeps India. Critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi say his handling of the pandemic is to blame, pointing to decisions to allow mass gatherings of people.
Members of the Facebook group, mostly Indian professionals, have responded swiftly to appeals for help, at times sharing extensive Google spreadsheets with details of medical suppliers and volunteer organizations.
MUMBAI: The government’s plan to ban private cryptocurrencies has thrown crypto backers in India into a fight for their survival and their major tool in this battle is to convince the government that cryptocurrencies are not what they are made out to be.
Experts and commentators at the ETMarkets Conclave today pleaded with the government to see the positive side of technological innovation and said that they will welcome any regulations instead of a blanket ban.
“There are enough positive use-cases of cryptocurrencies for India to adopt it rather than ban it,” said Nischal Shetty, founder and chief executive officer at WazirX at ETMarkets Conclave held virtually earlier in the day today.
Even as the world s largest and most popular cryptocurrency is making headway, the question of regulation looms large in India. At present, the meteoric rise of Bitcoins can be attributed to continued interest by major corporates. Now, more and more small and big investors around the world are attracted to cryptocurrency owing to its potential gains.
Recently, the price of Bitcoin crossed the record high of $54,000. The historic feat was achieved after a leading electric carmaker announced that it bought $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and would accept the currency as the mode of payment. The steep rise in the value of the virtual currency has made it a hot topic among analysts and investors all over the world.