Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Vauld.
If we talk about investments, assets such as gold, bank deposits, buying of lands, real estate, and the stock market come to our mind. It has been a while, and a new form of investment is drawing attention in the market today – cryptocurrency.
This latest type of investment sometimes referred to as crypto-currency or crypto, is a form of digital currency that is backed by a technology called ‘blockchain’ that allows users to exist outside the controls of the government and other central authorities. Over the years, the world seems to have a knack for this, particularly bitcoins, which is boasting 14 million value of bitcoins in circulation.
‘Crypto’ generally means virtual currencies that are secured by cryptographic systems. These systems allow users to make payments securely without the help of any third-party intermediary.
Today, many investors are speculating about the possible outcomes of cryptocurrency in the current market. They are assuming that the use of crypto is likely to continue until a certain level of pricing stability and market acceptance is attained from the government and bank sectors.
The government and banks’ recklessness in changing monetary policies at any time and any moment made many taxpayers suffer. No matter how irresponsible the government and bank sectors can be, it is always the taxpayer who has to pay for them. This way, the concept of cryptocurrency was introduced with the intent to change the financial infrastructure.
This is where the company Vauld comes into the scene. Founded in 2018, Vauld is a crypto-lending startup that was built to offer banking solutions to its customers through blockchain technology. To have a full understanding of Vauld, read this article to know about its journey so far, its founders and team, its business model, revenue, and the challenges faced by them.
Vauld started with an aim to offer its services as a customer-centric banking solution leveraging blockchain. They intend to treat customers’ cryptocurrencies as separate assets nullifying the need for the government’s acceptance.
Vauld works in a way that when any customer deposits funds to their wallet, it goes into a centralised pool. From there, the funds are allocated to borrowers, which are maintained for withdrawals on the platform.
This allows the company to give interest to its users. The loans offered by Vauld to borrowers are totally-risk free. All these loans are over-collateralised, which are usually repaid to the users after 30 days.
Vauld also has a community where they encourage everyone to discuss about crypto. From feedback and ideas, a crypto circle to discuss topics related to crypto, developers to build a system using Vauld’s APIs, to know everything about them under the news community.
Vauld – Founders
Darshan Bathija
Darshan Bathija, co-founder of Vauld
Before starting his own company, Darshan Bathija worked in companies like TapChief(acquired by Unacademy) and Piramal Enterprises Limited. A graduate from BITS Pilani, Darshan founded Vauld in 2018 intending to decentralise money through blockchain. He is the co-founder and CEO of Vauld.
Sanju Sony Kurian
Sanju Sony Kurian, co-founder of Vauld
Sanju Sony Kurian holds a degree from the Cochin Institute of Science and Technology. Before becoming the co-founder and CTO of Vauld, Sanju worked as Technology Director in Kings Learning. He is passionate about engineering and loves to volunteer and give speeches.
Vauld – Mission and Vision
Vauld wants to execute its vision with one aim: that is by offering a holistic banking system.
The company wants to set an easy and convenient platform for its customers to spend money in the place of their choice on an efficient system.
The company’s vision statement reads, “We aim to enable the core elements of banking to every crypto user. So that Vauld user would get: Store of Value, Easy Spending, Capital Growth, and Exchange.”
Vauld – Name, Tagline, and Logo
Vauld’s tagline says, “Earn. Borrow. Trade.
Vauld Logo
Vauld – Growth
Vauld was founded in 2018. In that year, Vauld used to be Boh (Bank of Holders) and came up with secure Bitcoin and Ethereum Wallets.
In 2019, the company introduced peer-to-peer lending and borrowing of funds. Later that year, the company had its major website revamp with an instant token swap, which led to instant buy and sell in INR.
In 2020, Boh was rebranded to Vauld and introduced Android and iOS apps. In 2021, the company raised $25 million in funds from Valar Ventures and Coinbase ventures.
Vauld – Business and Revenue Model
Vauld lets its users deposit funds in their centralised pool system. The funds which are allocated are lent out to borrowers with a certain interest amount. The loans are collateralised to an extent up to 150% and are usually repaid within 30 days.
Vauld stores the funds collected in their trusted exchange system called Binance to facilitate trades on their order books.
Vauld gives about 11.57% interest rates to its customers. The company boasts of having the best interest rates and trading fees in the industry today. They do not charge anything extra for every deposit a customer makes. Their entire process is based on transparency with no hidden charges.
Vauld – Funding and Investors
Vauld has raised funds of about $27.5 million. The company has a total of 20 investors.
Date
Funding Round
Funding Amount
Investors
Jul 29, 2021
Series A
$25M
Valar ventures, Pantera Capital
Dec 28, 2020
Seed
$2M
Pantera Capital, Coinbase
Jun 1, 2020
Seed
$500k
LuneX Ventures
Vauld – Challenges Faced
Quite recently, the crypto market saw a crash that had never been seen before. Reports suggest that this happened in May and June after the collapse of the group Terraform Lab’s UST stablecoin and Three Arrows Capital defaulted their loans.
The aftermath of this crash has led the Co-founder of Vauld to halt their withdrawals, trading, and deposits by 30%. The decision has been made because of the economic slowdown and inconsistent marketing conditions.
Due to this uncertain circumstance, the company is currently facing financial difficulties, as a result, a lot of customers have withdrawn amounts exceeding over $197.7 million since the crash of the cryptocurrency market.
Moreover, the company has reduced its marketing expenses and executive compensation by 50% and paused every vendor engagement. However, the company claims to make specific arrangements for certain customers who need help with their collateralised loans if necessary.
Vauld – Competitors
The following are some of its competitors of Vauld:
Bakkt
Abra
BabelFinance
Amber Group
WeAlwin Technologies
Ramp network
CoinDCX
Vauld – Future Plans
Although the company had planned to introduce cards and cross token payments, and bank accounts for the future. The current condition of the economy made them take a painful decision.
As of now, Vauld has suspended all its operations because of the unexpected crypto market crash. The company is currently having a difficult time, which is why it is challenging to know what the future holds for them.
FAQs
Is Vauld an Indian Company?
No, Vauld is a Singapore-based crypto platform founded by Darshan Bathija and Sanju Sony Kurian in 2018.
How does Vauld work?
When you deposit funds to your Vauld wallet it goes into a centralised pool. From there, the funds are allocated to borrowers, which are maintained for withdrawals on the platform.
Who are the founders of Vauld?
Vauld was founded by Darshan Bathija and Sanju Sony Kurian in 2018.
Cryptocurrency is creating a lot of buzz these days. It is getting popular and gaining acceptance at various levels. In India, cryptocurrency cannot be labelled as completely legal or illegal. It is kind of a grey area. So, analyzing the cryptocurrency industry in India becomes crucial.
In this article, we will discuss about cryptocurrency industry in India. We have brought you the cryptocurrency market insights, legal issues, and its future in India.
So let’s begin…
“Bitcoin is exciting me because it shows how cheap transactions can be” -Bill Gates
Cryptocurrency is a decentralized digital currency based on a blockchain platform that has been named crypto as it verifies transactions through encryptions. However, it is not any normal digital currency that you may use to pay your bills.
There are two major differences. First, it is decentralized i.e. it is not controlled by any government or third party. This means that all the transactions are made independently not relying on banks. Thus, the value of cryptocurrency does not get affected due to any geopolitical problem.
Second, it is only available in a limited amount i.e. the amount of crypto of any particular cryptocurrency is predetermined. It will never change. For example, the limit for bitcoin is 21 million. So, there will always be only 21 million bitcoins in the world.
Cryptocurrencies are generated through a process known as mining. Thereafter, they can be stored or spent through crypto-wallets. These wallets let you exchange crypto for any particular currency. They also allow you to make payments at places where cryptocurrency is accepted.
Some people like Bill Gates and Elon Musk support cryptocurrency. As per them, it is much better and more secure than physical money. Also, it holds great value for the future.
On the other hand, some people like Warren Buffett and Ajay Banga, consider it a bane to the world economy. They feel that cryptocurrency is the platform for criminal activities.
This actually makes us think is it actually a safe platform? This is especially important when no government or bank is involved for guarantee.
So, let’s take a look at its safety measures.
The transfer or purchase of cryptocurrency is guarded by cryptography. This means that advanced coding is used to safeguard the storage and transaction data. Thus, it is almost impossible to hack this currency. This makes crypto quite a secure platform.
Moreover, blockchain technology maintains distributed ledgers across a network of computers. The records of transactions are automatically updated in the systems of currency holders. This enhances traceability and visibility.
Anyways, cryptocurrency is not a tangible asset. However, it can be called a digital asset. Its applications are still being explored and expanded in financial terms.
Crypto charts represent the price history, volumes, and time intervals of the digital currencies, in graphical format. These are meant to help investors in making better decisions by picking equities and commodities.
Usually, a chart known as the Japanese candlestick chart is used by crypto traders. The colour, shape, and size of the candles in the chart are used as indicators. For example, a red candle is an indicator that the closing price was lower than the starting price. Similarly, a green candle represents that the closing price was higher than the starting price. The specified time frame is demonstrated in the graph.
Analyzing the Crypto Industry in India
As per a report by the Economic Times almost 20 million people invested in cryptocurrency in India, in 2021. Currently, Indian investors hold cryptocurrency worth about $5.3 billion.
The bitcoins touched their all-time highs in 2021, touching a mark of $63,729 on April 3. This has encouraged many small investors from India to focus on cryptocurrency. If the experience and sources of these investors are to be believed, the future of money lies in cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin was the first and most popular cryptocurrency, launched in 2009. It was later followed by other cryptocurrencies named Ethereum, Solana, Dogecoin, Polygon, etc.
In India, CoinSwitch Kuber is the biggest cryptocurrency exchange platform. It has recently touched 14 million users and registered a rise of 3500% in the transaction volume. The leading exchange apps WazirX and BitBns have also witnessed a growth of 1735% and 849%, respectively.
This data certainly speaks a lot in itself. The popularity of cryptocurrency is rising in India and appears to keep rising in the future as well. Also, owing to more number of buyers the demand for cryptocurrency is increasing. This has led to a several-fold hike in its price.
The cost of a bitcoin was about $0.008 – $0.08 in 2009 when it was launched. However, the present cost of a bitcoin is about $40,0000. Further, looking at the pace at which its value is increasing, more people are turning towards this form of investment.
Bitcoin Price
Is Cryptocurrency Legal in India?
On April 6, 2018, RBI imposed a ban on trading in cryptocurrency. However, on March 4, 2020, Supreme Court quashed this ban. Post this decision, RBI has taken back its earlier circular and has urged the banks to follow the decision of the apex court.
The Reserve Bank of India is responsible for managing currency and money transfers in the country. So far, the bank has supported the ban on investment in cryptocurrency. As per RBI, these investments would adversely affect macroeconomic stability.
As per RBI Deputy Governor, T Rabi Sankar, cryptocurrencies do not pass the basic scrutiny. Therefore, it will never be legalized in India. On the question of advanced economies not banning crypto, he said, most cryptocurrencies are valued in dollars and thus, do not pose any threat to convertible currencies of these countries. However, some people refer to it as the statist approach. It is assumed that if private cryptocurrencies are launched in India, RBI would lose the hold.
Presently, RBI is also set to launch their Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in 2022-23. It will be a digital legal tender issued by the Central Bank. It will be the same as fiat currency, only in a different form. It will be exchangeable with fiat currency.
In Union Budget, 2022, cryptocurrency was given legal sanction, virtually. While presenting the finance bill, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not refer to crypto as a “currency”. However, she someway gave it a legal status by labelling it as “digital assets”.
She has stated that this decision was taken in light of the phenomenal increase in the frequency and magnitude of transactions. This has ended the uncertainty over the future of cryptocurrency in India.
A heavy tax of 30% has been imposed on the income generated through crypto transactions. Also, this tax cannot be claimed for deduction. In addition, to keep track of transactions 1% TDS will be charged on the payments made using digital assets.
However, since this declaration, a number of questions have been raised. This is because the budget does not talk about regulations of crypto exchanges or investor protection. Also, how can government impose a tax without bringing the Cryptocurrency bill to legalize it?
All-in-all, the government has still not cleared the legal status of cryptocurrency in India.
Crypto Industry Market Size India
Future of Cryptocurrency in India
As per Purushottam Anand, Founder of blockchain law firm Crypto legal, “Taxing income from cryptocurrencies does not necessarily and explicitly legalize cryptocurrencies because income tax is not concerned about the manner or means of acquiring the income.” However, tax provisions for cryptocurrencies can be a step towards legalization.
Prime Minister Modi, in his speech at the “Summit for Democracy” organized by the U.S in 2021 has stated that world leaders must jointly shape global norms for emerging technologies like social media and cryptocurrency. It would help in utilizing these to empower democracy.
Also, while speaking at the virtually organized India-Central Asia summit, Prime Minister has urged a common approach to cryptocurrency.
Further, the general approach of India is going with the majority. As the majority of countries especially advanced economies are favouring this innovation, it is expected that India too will legalize it in the future.
Conclusion
The investment in cryptocurrency has enhanced several folds in India since last year. Even though the legal status is still unclear, it appears that the investors are not bothered by it.
Further, the cryptocurrency banning bill, due for the last winter session, has not been proposed by the government. Moreover, Finance bill-2022 has imposed a 30% tax on the income generated through crypto investment. This appears to be a good sign for the future of cryptocurrency in India.
Overall, it can be said that although the cryptocurrency industry in India is expanding tailing uncertainties cannot be denied.
FAQs
Is cryptocurrency legal in India?
Crypotuccureny is not a legal tender in India nor it is banned by the Indian government.
Is crypto taxable in India?
Yes, income from Crypto and NFTs are taxed at 30%.
The rate of growth in the world right now is at probably the topmost pace. The fuel for this growth is simply the technology sector behind every organisation. Lines and walls between companies are getting more and more transparent. Every company and entity is becoming a technological entity. All these utilities of technology have induced certain dependence in the world. That utility is worthwhile too, too much of an extent.
Technology, in a nutshell, has made our surroundings more convenient than ever before. We see transactions are getting easier and easier. We see that the entertainment sector is at an all-time high, in terms of revenue generation and visibility. We see that technology has invaded our homes and hands, the utilities it provides are endless.
All the utilities that the technology provides, make it a lucrative port for every other activity. Paying someone has become easier, and in fact, the transactions have become easier. Digital cryptocurrency is the new buzzword around the world corridors.
Most people support this trend of bitcoin and other crypto asset classes. India recently announced the commencement of a digital currency. The digital rupee is a new term for every Indian and this is a move that no one has ever imagined. There is a lot of hype among people about this but most people don’t know what it will be like. In this article, we will discuss what is a digital currency and how will it be different from the UPI method or unified payments method.
A digital payment mechanism is a tunnel through which payments can travel digitally. For instance, UPI is a digital payments mechanism. A Unified Payment Interface is a method by which people can transfer funds digitally and directly from the bank to another bank account.
The sole purpose of the digital setup of payments is the ease and convenience which it provides. The craze of digital payments grew so much in a very small time that it shifted to more serious business.
A Small Brief About Digital Currency
When digital payments are so easy and convenient, then why not all shift to digital payment methods? Moreover, why not make a digital currency? Nowadays, crypto is a popular buzzword. Let us see what digital currency means and what crypto is.
The world of cryptocurrency and digital assets. A cryptocurrency or just crypto is a digital currency that is designed and formulated to act as a medium of exchange. The whole system is decentralised, in fact, decentralisation is the core concept on which the world of crypto is being built.
Transactions happen through computers and computer networks. All the computer networks are not controlled by anyone’s authority, this by definition is known as decentralisation. There is no bank intermediary, a government or anyone else to maintain or uphold it.
A digital currency, as the name suggests, is a sort of digital money or electronic money is a sort of currency. It is money like an asset class that is primarily stored in a digital source or a computer. It is also stored and transmitted over the internet. It involves a lot of other asset classes. Types of digital currency include a lot more than just some of the asset classes.
Digital currency includes all sorts of cryptocurrency, virtual currency and all the currency which is accepted by digital currency. Except for the cryptocurrency, other asset classes may be recorded in a database that is centralised. A centralised database here means the database which is upheld by some central authority or a government figure.
This currency can be used to buy goods and services that exist in the real world. It can also however be used to buy things online, like something in an online game. Apart from being digital, digital currencies exhibit all the traits of a traditional currency. It doesn’t just have a physical form.
The fact that they are not physical in nature implies that they can be held by anyone with a computer device. This feature of digital money removes the cost of circulating physical money in the market. Transactions can happen seamlessly over the internet without any issues of lower denomination of notes.
A digital currency is usually not issued by a government body and thus, these are not considered as legal tender in many countries except El Salvador. Digital currency can be owned by anyone, even outside the borders of a country. These features also make the government not accept it as a legal tender.
Depending on the situation and characteristics of the digital currency, it can be centralised and decentralised. Centralised means some organisation that is operated under the rules of a central body. Decentralised is an organisation that has no central body and no one person or entity can control it wholly. Centralised institutes include banks and the stock market. Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin is decentralised.
This is the new word that, after its inception, became a buzzword of the month. Nirmala Sitaraman made the announcement mentioning the word digital rupee in her speech. She introduced that the government will soon unveil a digital rupee that will have all the support from the RBI or Reserve Bank of India.
Among all the crypto hype, this digital rupee will be a welcoming move by the Government of India to the world. It is said to be launched in the next financial year. It will be a central bank currency in the digital format.
Another word for it can be, CBDC, which is a central bank digital currency. This currency will be valid in India and will be accepted and transacted in the whole of the country. Let us see what more we heard about this new head of currency.
Digital rupee to be issued using blockchain and other technologies; to be issued by RBI starting 2022-23. This will give a big boost to the economy: FM Nirmala Sitharaman#Budget2022pic.twitter.com/tUdj2DoZCR
Indians were surprised at the time when our finance minister made an uncommon statement. This proposal of a digital rupee had many people in surprise.
Vipin Kumar, CEO TechnoloaderPvt. Ltd said launching a digital rupee using blockchain will not be an arduous task for the government.
“People in India are already amicable with the concept of digital transactions or payments in the form of UPI ID and barcode. Presently a great many people are doing digital transactions in their way of living. If the government is planning to launch a digital rupee using blockchain; accepting it also will not be an arduous task. Government has to refurbish technical aspects. Only mobile applications desire to update and UPI id entail replacement with Wallet address as blockchain works on wallets addresses,” said Vipin Kumar.
There were immediate questions about how the digital rupee would operate. What will be its use cases and how we will be able to transact in digital rupee. How different it will be from the UPI payments that we make on a daily basis.
Digital money, built from blockchain technology will be transferred from one digital wallet to another like other cryptos assets. “One will have to punch in the wallet address of the recipient to transfer the money. It would be as good as today’s UPI transactions where the value of money is transferred from one’s wallet or bank account to another,” Kunal Jagdale, Founder, BitsAir Exchange
“As the usage of the Digital Rupee increases, it could also benefit things like cross-border remittances, an environment could be created for interoperability whereby faster real-time remittance occurs,” said Kunal Jagdale.
The Digital rupee which the government will unveil in the next financial year will be seamless and real-time. The transactions will be made through a digital currency tunnel.
Transactions will be real-time and every Indian can send their money to another person, even overseas and across borders. There will be no need for any central authority. This means that the transactions will happen at an instant and will be needing no intermediary in between transacting bodies.
Even though digital currency will not be available in the physical form, it will be acceptable. Digital currency will be as acceptable as cash and will be a legal tender in any sort of transaction. Payments made through CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currency) will also reduce settlement risks and the demand for interbank settlements.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman has also mentioned that the country will launch a digital version of the rupee as early as this year. It will be usable from the next financial year itself.
Apart from the announcement of a digital currency, the finance minister in her budget speech also mentioned that any trading gains or transfer gains of cryptos will be taxed. This means every gain from any crypto transaction or NFT (Non-fungible tokens) sales proceeds will be taxed 30 percent. All these gains will fall into the top class tax bracket in India.
The primary two motives behind launching a digital currency are simple. First, the digital currency will give a jump to the digital economy. Secondly, the digital currency will be cheaper for the government than producing physical currency notes. This way the government is trying to kill two birds with one stone.
Ms Sitharaman also said the magnitude and frequency of digital asset transactions “have made it imperative to provide for a specific tax regime”, where profits from transactions are taxed. Taxes of this sort will also be levied on any transaction of digital assets, which means that they will also be levied when someone gifts this asset to another. In this case, the receiver will be the liable person.
In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the currency notes of 500 and 1000 rupee from the financial system. Within very short notice, notes of this denomination got terminated as a legal tender and the economy was pushed to a digital world.
The Indian payments landscape changed forever, after demonetisation. Companies like Paytm, which works in the digital payments sector got an immense boost from this government direction. On the other hand, India’s neighbour China was also involved in some digital currency work. The United Kingdom also saw some potential at the time in digital currency.
Sumit Gupta, co-founder and chief executive of India-based cryptocurrency exchange CoinDCX, told the BBC that the initiative “has given legitimacy to virtual digital assets”. Sumit thinks that taxing digital assets would be good for the market but believes the rate is too high.
“A tax rate of 30% is on par with that imposed on gains from speculative activities like the lottery, gambling and other gaming activities. That proposed 30% might act as a dampener for greater adoption,” he said.
Among all the hype of a new digital currency, the ongoing digital crypto is seen as a new digital asset. The new digital currency will be a new thing by the RBI. However, with all the technological shields that we stand with today, the digital rupee has high hopes from citizens.
According to the Reserve Bank of India and the finance minister, the currency will be seamlessly transferred and will be easy for the government to take charge and control. This is a win-win for everyone. More details about the platform and transactions will be officially out soon from the RBI. However, with the announcement of a digital currency, cryptocurrency is seen as an accepted currency.
With all the speculations from the public and the unclearness of the new digital currency, many people are connecting the digital currency with that of UPI. Unified payments interface is a very famous transacting mechanism in India. It is, however, said to differ from the digital currency or the digital rupee which the government is planning to push into Indian markets. Before we get to the differences it is good to know some basic information about the UPI and how the unified payment interface works.
There is little possibility that you haven’t heard of UPI in today’s world. It is almost everywhere in every marketplace. It is easy, convenient, seamless and real-time. As the name suggests, a unified payment interface is a payment pathway in which a person can transact money via digital means. People can add multiple bank accounts to their UPI apps which are available in the market today and can start transacting. It is a real-time payment system for money transfers and the settlement is done in both the receiver’s and the sender’s bank account.
The UPI is developed by the National Payments Corporation of India or NPCI. This digital payment mechanism is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. UPI can be used every day of the week and every month of the year, it is universal in nature.
All it needs is a bank account and an internet connection. However it is noted that there is no digital currency involved, it is simple to transfer bank funds from one person to the other. A UPI transaction can be initiated and accepted both by a person, any individual and also any business out there in the country.
The Unified Payments system is secure by all means and uses some of the same pathways as digital currency transactions. The unified payments system has a data log of VPA ids, which is a unique ID that is given to every individual who is getting into the UPI transactions.
This VPA ID or the Virtual Payment Address is the address where the payment has to be made. It is simply the bank account that is linked with the Virtual Payment ID to which or from which the payment is initiated. It can be made by a bank name or the person can choose one himself or herself as opposed to in digital currency transactions.
Most of the time, the email address or the mobile number of the person is made their VPA address. VPA is something that directs the payment/transaction path. Transfers can be inter-bank and they can also be intra-bank. A mobile number also works seamlessly in the UPI payment system, if it is attached/linked with the bank account of the sender or receiver.
Most UPI apps have no holding capacity. They are not wallets, except a few like Paytm. Most UPI apps like Google Pay does not offer wallet services. Companies like Paytm do that. It is however to be noted that UPI does not hold any money in between. Wallet services are the sole services of the payment pathways companies like Paytm.
UPI works simply by settling payments from one bank and the other. It works on request by the transferee and then works towards settling the money settlement among participating banks of persons involved. A sender can initiate a transfer using a two-step secure process: you have to login to a UPI app – then you have to type the VPA id or scan a QR code – then you can send money by entering your UPI Pin that is personal to you.
The payment hits instantly and in real-time. This means, by the time you get the notification of money sent, another person will get the notification of money received.
After a brief discussion, it is time to see how both the payments are different. The digital currency which the government will release next year and the Unified payments interface that we use even today. What are the most noticeable differences and what are the most significant upgrades over the UPI payments mechanism? Let us see the key differences between the digital rupee and the UPI payments.
How Digital Rupee Will Be Different From UPI Transactions?
UPI is our day to day useful item. We use it even multiple times a day. It is handy, easy and convenient. It works seamlessly everywhere and has almost negligible issues. But how it is different from the digital rupee that the finance minister just announced in India. This is a valid question. Let us see what will be the key differences between a digital rupee and the UPI apps and payment mechanisms
The first difference is that the Digital rupee will be a standalone payment mode. As opposed to the UPI which is a payment processing tunnel. If we use UPI methods, they all don’t act like the underlying asset in transactions, instead, they are the ones who will be processing the money in your bank account. In this case, your money in the bank is the underlying asset that will enter the transaction. In the case of a digital rupee, it will itself be the underlying asset that will enter the transaction.
“The payment rails like UPI, IMPS etc use the underlying currency/cash to transfer the funds. In other cases, it is expected that payment rails will work together with the digital rupee to ensure a seamless payment transaction,” said Mihir Gandhi, Partner & Payments Transformation Leader, PwC India.
Any payment that is made through the Unified payment interface, will be equivalent to the transfer of currency notes. As there are banks, the government and all the proper authorities at work, who allows the transaction. This means that every amount which is transacted by the UPI method is backed and supported by a physical currency transaction. Which makes the process of transaction impossible to jump through. In the case of the digital rupee, this will be even more efficient and effective.
“The digital rupee will be legal tender in and of itself and need not necessarily be backed up by physical currency,” said Sumit Gwalani, Co-Founder, Neobank Fi.
Another difference is the fact that UPI transactions are involved between participating banks and they have their own UPI handlers. In the case of the digital rupee, the digital currency will be equal to the physical currency. It will be operated by the Reserve Bank Of India and no commercial bank will enter the process.
They will be informed but the central figure of RBI will always recognise the transactions happening in the digital rupee. This will add more accountability to any sort of transaction.
The digital rupee is no different from your normal rupee; it can be used to do normal transactions like NEFT, UPI. The digital rupee will be operated by RBI and not by bank intermediaries in the case of UPI where each bank has a different UPI handler, said Manoj Dalmia, Founder and Director, Proassets Exchange
The digital rupee will eliminate settlements in commercial banks. It will be directed directly by the Reserve Bank India and thus, will be instant and seamless. Record keeping will also become easier.
UPI payments currently rely on the settlement of the transacting banks with the RBI, Digital Ruppe will be transacting directly from RBI, hence it will be settled instantly, said Vinshu Gupta, Founder and Director, Nonceblox Blockchain Studio.
It is evident from the above discussion that the digital rupee is definitely an upgrade over the Unified payments interface. It will add more accountability to the system of transactions. It will be more seamless and as real-time as possible.
These transactions will also be introduced in the market without incurring a lot of costs, as the digital rupee will be made at less cost than physical notes. These are the most noticeable benefits and there will be more benefits when it comes to the market. The government is welcoming the digital change of currency as it is more efficient.
UPI payments have been the most convenient money transacting mechanism that we have seen today. As the world becomes more and more tech-savvy, people are rethinking ideas of money and transactions. Which has led to the development of digital transactions and even currency that has no physical nature of existence. We now live in a world of numbers.
In the seven budget, the Indian Finance minister announced that the government will be launching a digital rupee. Many people are considering this as a welcoming move toward the cryptocurrency hype in the rest of the world. Others are just wondering if it will be a good decision.
It can be seen from the above discussions that the digital rupee is definitely an upgrade over the Unified payments interface payment tunnel. As transactions will be recorded and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India, It will add more accountability to transacting parties. The digital rupee will be more seamless and as real-time as UPI.
These transactions will also be introduced in the market without incurring a lot of new costs. The digital rupee will be circulated in public at a lesser cost than is needed to circulate physical notes. It is a move that simply implies that the government wants better governance over the money transactions happening in the country. It is imperative, as we are a really populous country and the digital rupee can be the perfect money.
FAQ
Which is the first digital currency?
Bitcoin is one of the first and most popular digital currencies.
What is digital or virtual currency?
A digital currency is a digital representation of currency that is stored in an electronic form that can be mobile or computer. It can be centralized or decentralized.
Is Bitcoin legal in India?
There are no regulations on crypto nor the Bitcoin is banned in India.
The cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin had been surging their value in recent years. The meme-based Dogecoin had reached its all-time high being part of the top 10 cryptocurrencies according to the market capitalization. Other than Bitcoin and Dogecoin there is a new cryptocurrency creating excitement in the crypto market called Shiba Inu Coin. Let’s look at what is Shiba Inu Coin, expert opinions and its price prediction.
There is not much information available about this cryptocurrency. The crypto is considered to have been made in order to provide competition to Dogecoin. The website of Shiba Inu Coin claims that it has an experiment in order to the decentralized voluntary building of community.
Shiba Inu Coin Website
The coin features a hunting dog from Japan, Shiba Inu which rose in popularity due to the Dogecoin as this is also considered to be another meme coin. The website shares the message that this token is their first and the users have the choice to hold billions or even trillions of them.
The nickname of the coin is Dogecoin killer and claims that everyone should own one from the open market.
According to the data received from CoinMarketCap, the Shiba Inu Coin had given a return of 120 % in the time period of 24 hours at one point in time. When compared to a 7 day time period the coin has provided a return of around 1970.57 %.
The meme-based cryptocurrency, Shiba Inu Coin which is positioned to be a rival coin of Dogecoin has a market capitalization of USD 15 billion whereas Dogecoin has a market capitalization of USD 22 billion as of 2021.
Expert Opinions about Shiba Inu Coin
Investorplace.com has recently conducted deep research into the Shiba Inu coin which conveyed that the predictions of the price of currency have been heating up due to the enormous gains of the cryptocurrency. However, it is seen that the investors are not yet rushing to invest their money into the new cryptocurrency.
Investorplace.com had done a dive into the number of predictions about the new coin where they found out WalletInvestor has suggested that Shiba Inu coin is not a good investment for the long term.
They also have an estimated prediction that the value of this cryptocurrency would see a downfall by the end of 2022 to somewhere in between USD 0.000029 to USD 0.000016. But DigitalCoinPrice has predicted that there would be an increase in the price of the cryptocurrency and would see a jump by the end of 2021 to USD 0.000044.
Gov Capital has predicted that Shiba Inu Coin would see a huge drop falling to USD 0.000006.
If you are not sure whether you should invest in this cryptocurrency, then take some steps before getting into the decision and investing your money into it. First of all, try to understand the fundamentals of cryptocurrency before you decide to trade with it.
Understand the project and go through various risk management techniques and adjust it according to your capacity to bear the risk of which one would vary from one individual to another.
The most important point which should be noted before investing your money into cryptocurrency is that you should be satisfied before investing, with your research and studies and never buy or invest your money into the coin because of someone else’s advice.
Shiba Inu Coin Price Prediction
Shiba Inu Coin Price Prediction
Shiba Inu coin is a highly volatile coin as it is a meme coin and to predict its price is difficult as it is linked to the hype. The meme coin is expected to grow from $0.000014 at the end of 2025 to $0.000028 in 2030. As of 2022, the Shiba Inu Coin price in rupees is ₹0.002318.
Shiba Inu Coin Price in INR
Will Shiba Inu Coin Reach $1?
The current price of Shiba Inu is 0.000031 and reaching the $1 mark may sound impossible but we should remember that this is a highly volatile coin, also the price of the coin is linked to the hype of the projects. But can it hit $1? probably not. If Shiba Inu reaches $1, the market cap of the coin would be $550 trillion which would be higher than every combined economy of the world and 650 times the market cap of Bitcoin. So, it is highly unlikely that Shiba Inu will reach $1 in 2025 or 2030.
Conclusion
There can be risks involved with these get-rich-quick coins, even though the percentage returns provided by the cryptocurrency in the past may look attractive, there are a lot of cases where such coins have lost their value and provided negative returns after a few months.
FAQ
What is the use of the Shiba Inu coin?
Shiba Inu tokens are powered by Ethereum. Fungible tokens like Shiba Inu are ERC-20 tokens.
How many Shiba coins are left?
As of 17 May 2021, a total of 394.796 trillion Shiba Tokens were in circulation, with a market cap of $6.52 billion USD.
Where can I buy the Shiba Inu coin?
You can currently buy Shiba Inu coins on platforms like Binance, Huobi Global, OKEx, Hotcoin Global, and MXC.COM.
Changpeng Zhao is the founder of the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance. He has turned out to be a true inspiration to many since the company’s inception in 2017. In a span of a few months, Zhao turned the company into the largest exchange platform for the crypto trade. Changpeng Zhao, popularly known as CZ, was valued as the 11th richest person in the world. Recent estimates revealed that his net worth is around $96 billion.
From selling his apartment to buy cryptocurrencies to turning out to be one of the richest people in the world, the life of CZ is something inspiring and exciting to learn about. Let us see where and how Changpeng Zhao’s journey started, his early living and his life as the CEO of Binance.
Changpeng Zhao is a Chinese-Canadian business person who was born in Jiangsu province of China on 10th September 1977. Both of his parents were teachers. Zhao’s father was working as a professor in a university and he was exiled after getting labeled as “pro-bourgeois intellect”. As a result, the family moved to Vancouver, Canada by the late 1980s. During his teenage years in Canada, Zaho started working part-time to support his family’s expenses. He used to work at McDonald’s and a few gas stations after his school.
Changpeng Zhao – Initial Career
Changpeng Zhao was a computer science graduate from McGill University, Montreal. After graduation, he started his career as an intern in Tokyo. He worked for a trader on Tokyo Stock Exchange, who asked Zhao to develop software for matching orders in the stock trade. After the initial experience, he joined the Bloomberg Tradebook LLC in 2001 and worked as the head of Futures Development sector for the next 4 years.
Later in 2005, Zhao co-founded a company called Fusion Systems. The company was involved in providing IT solutions and other business consultancy services. Changpeng Zhao remained as a partner in Fusion Systems until the end of 2013 and then entered the world of Crypto.
Changpeng Zhao – Professions in the Crypto World
Changpeng Zhao – Binance Founder
By 2013, Changpeng Zhao joined as the head of the development team in Blockchain. Blockchain.com is a company that provides various cryptocurrency-related services. It created a cryptocurrency wallet that has dealt with almost 28% of the bitcoin transactions between 2011 and 2020. Zhao worked in this company for developing software related to crypto wallets.
After working in Blockchain for about a year, Zhao resigned from the company and joined as the Chief Technical Officer in a company named OKCoin. OKCoin, like Binance, was a Crypto Exchange company and is considered to be one of the largest in the world. But Zhao felt that the company doesn’t suit his vision on crypto exchange and he decided to quit his position.
Coming out of OKCoin, CZ founded a company named Bijie Tech. This company provided crypto exchange services to people in Shanghai. It kept serving people for two years from 2015 to 2017, until one day, all the platforms and websites of Bijie tech went dead. There was no information given or clarified from the management regarding the disappearance of the company. But with the death of Bijie Tech emerged a mighty company named Binance.
Changpeng Zhao – Journey as Binance CEO
Binance Logo
Changpeng Zhao’s interest in cryptocurrencies started as early as 2014 while he was playing a poker game with his friend. During that time he got to know about Bitcoin and started investing in it. He even sold his house to buy Bitcoins. Such was his interest in the crypto market. Zhao added experience to his interest by working in various companies.
Bijie Tech slowly disappeared only to bloom as Binance. All the top management and resources of the former company structured Binance. Changpeng Zhao has remained the CEO of the company since its formation in 2017. This cryptocurrency exchange platform is the largest exchange in terms of trading. Binance made Zhao a billionaire within just 180 days of its operation. He has grown to be the 11th richest person in the world with his net worth estimated at $96 billion.
Zhao faced myriad challenges during these 5 years in Binance. China’s stringent policies on crypto forced him to shift the headquarters from the Chinese land to Caymen Islands. The United States Department of Justice has put Binance under investigation for money laundering offenses. Similarly, many other countries like Germany and UK have also raised legal actions or warnings against the company. In fact, in 2019, there was a huge theft of bitcoins from Binance whose value stood around $40 million. Zhao faced all these challenges explicitly including the bitcoin theft. He made sure that the company makes up for all the losses and never let his customers down.
Conclusion
The story of Changpeng Zhao is truly inspiring. Everything we think as impossible was made possible by him. Cryptocurrencies and their market are just getting popular and most people are less knowledgeable or still unaware about it. In such a situation CZ created his own pathway and set a benchmark for aspiring leaders. Zhao created a belief that it is possible to start a business and make it the world’s largest in 5 years. He showed that becoming one of the richest in the world would take just a couple of years. He also proved that despite any hardships from the superpower countries, it is possible to flourish a business in every part of the world. A lot to grasp from such a stimulating personality.
FAQs
Who is Changpeng Zhao?
Changpeng Zhao is the founder of the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance.
When and where was Chengpeng Zhao born?
Zhao was born on 10th September 1977 in Jiangsu province of China.
What is the work of Binance?
Binance is the cryptocurrency exchange platform that helps people trade cryptos for assets.
Which is the largest crypto exchange platform?
Binance is the largest crypto exchange platform in the world.
