Skip to main content

Indian Banks Halting Services to Crypto Industry Post RBI Clarification

Indian Banks Halting Services to Crypto Industry Post RBI Clarification

Several Indian banks have reportedly halted services to customers dealing in cryptocurrencies despite the central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), informing them that the banning circular is no longer valid. The latest bank to join the fray is IDFC First Bank.

  • IDFC First Bank has become the latest bank to halt services to crypto companies, Livemint reported last week, citing industry sources. The publication conveyed:

IDFC First Bank over the past week temporality stopped services, as it is doing enhanced due diligence regarding banking support to crypto exchanges.

  • This followed the RBI clarifying to financial institutions that its April 2018 circular which banned banks from providing services to crypto businesses is no longer valid and should not be cited or quoted. The central bank added that banks may “continue to carry out customer due diligence processes” in compliance with existing regulations.
  • Other banks that have kept their distance from clients dealing in cryptocurrencies include ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, and Paytm Payments Bank, the publication noted.
  • HDFC Bank and State Bank of India (SBI) have also cautioned their users against the risks of dealing in cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, due to them being unregulated.
  • However, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are not banned in India, both the government and the RBI have confirmed.
  • The Indian government is still working on a cryptocurrency bill. It was supposed to be introduced during the budget session of parliament but it was not. Now, there are reports of the government setting up an expert panel to re-examine the recommendations in the current bill, which seeks to ban all cryptocurrencies except the ones issued by the RBI.
  • “IDFC Bank joins a few of the other nationalized banks that have taken the stance to not service cryptocurrency-based companies,” Sathvik Vishwanath, CEO and co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Unocoin, was quoted by Livement as saying. He added:

While RBI has clarified its stance that the banks can provide services after their due diligence, it is abruptly insane for these banks to take their foot back. These kinds of reactions also alarm the investors of cryptocurrencies for the wrong reason.

What do you think about Indian banks halting services to crypto customers? Let us know in the comments section below.



from Bitcoin News https://ift.tt/35STe7A
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Deep Web Roundup: Dream Adds Monero and Bitcoin Tumbler “Chip Mixer” Launches

The darknet has been quiet of late, which is the way it’s meant to be. No news means no mega busts, honeypots, or mass market shutdowns. Even when it’s out of the spotlight though, the deep web is quietly making news, whether trialling the latest privacy coins or the newest coin mixers that promise to restore a little of the privacy that’s being stripped away from bitcoin users on a daily basis. Also read: U.S. Agency ICE Conducts Investigations That Exploit Blockchain Activity The Battle for Privacy Heats Up Privacy is all relative, but of late there’s been relatively little privacy to be enjoyed by bitcoin users. Blockchain monitoring software is becoming more sophisticated and more common, with U.S. law enforcement agencies using it to profile and hunt down deep web users. Chip Mixer is a relatively new bitcoin tumbler that’s designed to restore some of that privacy. Available on both the clearnet and darknet, the service uses a variety of techniques to obfuscate blockchain m
10 comments
Read more

International Crypto Exchange Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading

Luno exchange has added bitcoin cash trading to the platform following feedback from its client base. BCH is now only the third cryptocurrency available for trading on the exchange, in addition to BTC and ETH , but more options could be on the way once Luno determines that they are credible enough. Also Read: Bitflyer Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Across Europe and the US Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Luno, the London-headquartered company formerly known as Bitx, recently announced that bitcoin cash was made available on its cryptocurrency exchange. Starting from Monday, September 23, customers at Luno are now able to store, buy and sell BCH on the platform. The reason given for adding BCH to the exchange is feedback from users in developing markets that convinced Luno to expand their offering from previously just BTC and ETH . Marcus Swanepoel, CEO of Luno, said , “We are in a new and exciting financial era. Developing economies are leading the large-scale adoption and appli
Post a Comment
Read more

Ombudsman Receives Complaints About Crypto Investments in Spain

The Spanish ombudsman has been receiving complaints about cryptocurrency and how some Spanish citizens investing in these vehicles have lost everything. In his annual report, Angel Gabilondo recognized the rise of cryptocurrencies as a new problem due to the little or no regulation crypto sees in the country. In the same way, the EU has also warned about these assets recently. Spanish Ombudsman Gives His Take on Crypto Angel Gabilondo, the Spanish ombudsman, has given his take regarding cryptocurrencies and the effects they have on citizens investing in some of these projects. Gabilondo said in his yearly report that cryptocurrencies have become “a new problem” during the year examined, with many people having lost all of their funds invested. The report states : Cryptocurrency exchange companies or platforms are not regulated in the legal system, are not subject to any public supervision system, nor do they benefit from deposit guarantee systems. The affected users that sought
Post a Comment
Read more