The pilot of the wholesale CBDC, known as the Digital Rupee-Wholesale (e-W), was launched on November 1, 2022, with the use case being limited to the settlement of secondary market transactions in government securities.
"The RBI will introduce the wholesale CBDC in the call market either this month or next month," Choudhary said on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi. The introduction of CBDC was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and necessary amendments to the relevant section of the RBI Act, 1934, were made with the passage of the Finance Bill 2022.
Barely months before unveiling the CBDC pilot in both retail and wholesale segments, the central bank allowed rupee settlement for international trade as a step towards internationalisation of the rupee. Banks from 18 countries have opened rupee vostro accounts since July last year, helping their importers settle payments in the rupee.