Sitharaman says govt & RBI on same page on cryptos, Das adds internal talks underway

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there is a respect towards each other’s domain and priorities keeping the nation’s interests in mind.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there was complete harmony with which her department was working with Reserve Bank of India on all issues, including cryptocurrencies. She said there is a respect towards each other’s domain and priorities keeping the nation’s interests in mind.

File photo of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

“Not just on crypto, but on every other thing as well. I think there's complete harmony with which we're working, respecting each other's domain and also knowing what we've to do with each other's priorities and in the interest of the nation. There's no turfing here,” Sitharaman was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

RBI governor Shaktikanta Das said the issue of cryptocurrency was under discussion internally between the central bank and the government.

“Whatever points we have, we have discussed with the government. Beyond that I think I will not like to further elaborate,” Das said.

Recently, Das said private cryptocurrencies were a threat to macroeconomy and financial stability, and would undermine the central bank’s ability to deal with challenges on the two fronts. In a message for investors, Das said such assets have no underlying whatsoever, “not even a tulip”.

Meanwhile, speaking about inflation, the RBI chief said, “As far as India is concerned, if you look at the momentum of inflation right from last October onward, it is on a downward slope. It's primarily the statistical reasons, the base effect, which has resulted in higher inflation especially in the third quarter.”

“The same base effect will play in different ways in the coming months. Today's inflation print is expected to be close to 6 per cent. That should not surprise or create any alarm because we have taken that into consideration.”