CBDC Field Research Insights for the 2023 Report, “CBDC: Expanding Financial Inclusion or Deepening the Divide? Exploring Design Choices that Could Make a Difference”

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India’s central bank, announced the pilot launch of the Digital Rupee (e₹), a central bank digital currency (CBDC), in October 2022. The first pilot Digital Rupee in the wholesale segment (e₹-W) began on November 1, 2022, and over the next few months, RBI plans to launch the Digital Rupee in the retail segment (e₹-R) for customers and merchants.