Indian tech press / CBDC sceptic

Frames the e-rupee status more critically: retail CBDC transactions represent a tiny fraction of the 23+ billion monthly UPI transactions, adoption is RBI-mandated among banks rather than organically consumer-driven, and the RBI has quietly de-emphasised headline volume targets in favour of specific use-case pilots. Contrast with China's e-CNY, which has logged billions of transactions but also struggles with organic adoption.

“India's e-rupee remains a rounding error against UPI volumes; the RBI has shifted its framing from transaction targets to functional testing of programmable payments.”