50,000 jobs at stake as govt brings laws to regulate cryptocurrencies
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Employees of cryptocurrency companies in India are a worried lot as the fate of the industry hangs in the balance.
Vinshu Gupta, Founder and Director, Nonceblox Blockchain Studio said “It is easy to use privacy coins to launder money or use a crypto mixer to hide drug or blood money but crypto also employs over 50,000 people in India and has immense potential to push India as a true 21st century super power.”
“The crypto industry needs regulation but it should be inclusive. A taxation process like TDS where profits are taxed at withdrawal sources in India like exchanges is a good strategy to start. The more it becomes an open-ended ecosystem, the more value it will bring to the Indian economy,” he added.
Also read: Crypto prices stable in India as investors await details of new Bill
Cryptocurrencies have gained prominence ever since the RBI ban was lifted in March 2020. India now has 15 home-grown crypto currency exchange platforms, consisting of more than 10 crore investors. According to broker discovery and comparison platform BrokerChooser, the total number of crypto owners in India now stands at 10.07 crore, which puts it ahead of every other country in the world. US stands at second position with the number of crypto owners at 2.7 crore, followed by Russia (1.7 crore) and Nigeria (1.3 crore). In comparison, the number of stock investors registered with the BSE/NSE in India has risen to 7.4 crore at present while for mutual funds it stands at 11.4 crore. In terms of share of crypto investors as a percentage of the population, India stands at fifth position at 7.3 per cent trailing Ukraine (12.7 per cent), Russia (11.9 per cent), Kenya (8.5 per cent) and US (8.3 per cent).
Indian crypto investments cross $10 billion
According to crypto research and intelligence business CREBACO, Indian crypto investments have increased to over $10 billion from $0.9 billion in April 2020, as crypto markets touched all-time highs.
“Currently, the government is set to introduce ‘The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Currency Bill, 2021’ in the winter session of Parliament beginning 29 November for consideration and passing. The bill aims to create a facilitative framework for the creation of the official digital currency to be issued by the RBI. It also seeks to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India, however, it allows for certain exceptions to promote the underlying technology of cryptocurrency and its uses. Currently, there is a lot of uncertainty but the government is making efforts to soon put out proper regulation with regards to crypto investment as it is quickly getting widespread across India,” said Hemang Jani, Head – Equity Strategy, Broking & Distribution, Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
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