The Reserve Bank of India Expands Digital Rupee Pilot, Introduces Programmable and Offline Payment Features

According to Cointelegraph, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced in its 2024-25 annual report that it will expand the digital rupee (CBDC) pilot to introduce new features such as programmability and offline payments for both retail (e₹-Retail) and wholesale (e₹-Wholesale) versions. These features aim to enhance the applicability of the digital rupee in areas with limited network connectivity and to customize payment solutions for specific scenarios such as government subsidies or corporate spending control.