Retail central bank digital currency in circulation falls by 24pc in FY26
Business 29 May, 2026

Retail central bank digital currency in circulation falls by 24pc in FY26

Business To Business, Mumbai, 29th May, 2026:   The value of retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) in circulation in India declined by 24.08% during 2025–26 despite continued pilot programmes by the Reserve Bank of India.
According to the RBI’s annual report, the value of digital banknotes in circulation through the retail CBDC platform, known as e₹-Retail (e₹-R), stood at ₹771.66 crore at the end of March 2026, down from ₹1,016.46 crore a year earlier.
The report also noted that the value of digital banknotes under the wholesale CBDC segment, e₹-Wholesale (e₹-W), remained nil as of March 31, 2026, unchanged from the previous year.
The CBDC initiative is part of the RBI’s broader effort to explore digital currency infrastructure and modernise payment systems through pilot-based implementation and testing of various retail and institutional use cases.

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