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Q72 (IAS/2023) Economy › Money, Banking & Inflation › Digital currency payments Official Key

With reference to Central Bank digital currencies, consider the following statements : 1. It is possible to make payments in a digital currency without using US dollar or SWIFT system. 2. A digital currency can be distributed with a condition programmed into it such as a time-frame for spending it. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 3 (Both 1 and 2).

Statement 1 is correct: Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) enable direct peer-to-peer transactions between nations. By using bilateral payment bridges or distributed ledger technology (DLT), countries can settle international trades without relying on the US Dollar as an intermediary or the SWIFT messaging system, which is currently the dominant global financial infrastructure.

Statement 2 is correct: CBDCs possess the unique feature of programmability. Using smart contracts, a central bank can embed specific conditions into the digital currency. This includes "purpose-bound" money or setting an expiry date (time-frame) for spending, which can be used as a monetary policy tool to stimulate consumption during economic slowdowns.

Since both statements accurately describe the functional and technological advantages of digital currencies over traditional fiat systems, Option 3 is the right choice.

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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to Central Bank digital currencies, consider the following statements : 1. It is possible to make payments in a digital c…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 5/10 · 5/10

This question tests the 'Functional Frontier' of a new technology. Statement 1 asks about the geopolitical utility (De-dollarization), and Statement 2 asks about the technical utility (Programmability). Standard books define CBDC, but you needed to connect it to the 'Why' (bypassing SWIFT) and the 'How' (smart contracts).

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Can central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) enable payments without using the US dollar or the SWIFT system?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 4/5
"a global reserve currency like the US dollar or the Euro is normally chosen as the settlement currency, mainly because at least one of these two currencies is widely available. Because of this rea-son, this central bank is unable and/or unwilling to act as a source of liquidity"
Why this source?
  • Explains that cross-border settlement typically uses a global reserve currency (US dollar or Euro) because of liquidity availability.
  • Highlights that a central bank acting as settlement agent, when not issuer of those currencies, cannot readily provide required liquidity — implying difficulty avoiding USD/EUR for settlement.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The SWIFT network connects more than 1 1,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries and is the main messaging network used in account-to-account cross-bor-der payments."
Why this source?
  • States that the SWIFT network is the main messaging network used in account-to-account cross-border payments.
  • Shows the breadth and entrenched role of SWIFT (connecting thousands of institutions in many countries), indicating it would be a major barrier to bypassing SWIFT.
Web source
Presence: 3/5
"The SDR is an international reserve asset, created by the IMF in 1969 to supplement its member countries’ official reserves, and it serves as the unit of account of the IMF and some other international organizations, including the World Bank. Its value is based on a basket of five currencies (the US dollar, the"
Why this source?
  • Presents the IMF's SDR as an alternative international reserve asset and an analogy for non‑national settlement instruments.
  • Implies there are alternative settlement units (SDR) whose value is linked to a basket of currencies, offering a potential non‑USD settlement approach though not identical to CBDC.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Advantages of CBDC > p. 79
Strength: 4/5
“For example, if a commercial bank collapses, then our savings could potentially be wiped out, but this would not be the case with CBDCs, which we can hold on to our own in digital form and could be as trusted as cash.• CBDCs would be as convenient as payment apps and it also benefits from the same blockchain technology (Distributed Ledger Technology) which supports crypto currency.• Payments would be faster and easier without any delay as there is no settlement issue• Legal tender-based payment which will be efficient, trusted and regulated.• Higher seigniorage due to lower cost of printing, transportation/distribution and storing paper currency.• Introduction of CBDC would lead to a more robust, efficient, trusted, regulated and legal tender-based payments option.• E-rupee would offer features of physical cash like trust, safety and settlement facility”
Why relevant

Describes CBDCs as legal‑tender digital money, faster payments, and built on DLT — framing them as a national payment instrument that could operate differently from existing systems.

How to extend

A student could infer that if a CBDC is legal tender and uses DLT, countries might route payments bilaterally over alternate rails rather than via dollar/SWIFT and then check examples of cross‑border DLT pilots.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Why RBI launched e-Rupee? > p. 78
Strength: 4/5
“• Many Central Banks are worried that the widespread adoption of these independent crypto currencies could weaken their control over the financial system. This could cause financial instability especially because crypto currencies do not have the legal or the regulatory safeguard that the Central Bank money does, so why not issue a digital currency of their own.• Central banks seek to meet the public's need for digital currencies, manifested in the increasing use of private virtual currencies, and thereby avoid the more damaging consequences of such private currencies.• Central banks, faced with dwindling usage of paper currency, seek to popularize a more acceptable electronic form of currency like e-rupee.”
Why relevant

Explains central banks issue digital currencies to meet public need and to retain control versus private cryptocurrencies — showing central banks’ motive and authority to create alternate payment instruments.

How to extend

One could reason that sovereign backing makes other central banks more willing to accept a CBDC in payment arrangements; compare which countries have launched CBDC pilots and whether they settled outside USD/SWIFT.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > 10.Oversight of payment and settlement systems > p. 70
Strength: 5/5
“The central bank of any country is usually the driving force in the development of national payment systems. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the central bank of India has been playing this developmental role and has taken several initiatives for Safe, Secure, Sound, Efficient, Accessible and Authorised payment systems in the country. In India, the payment and settlement systems are regulated by the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act). In terms of Section 4 of the PSS Act, no person other than RBI can commence or operate a payment system in India unless authorised by RBI.”
Why relevant

States that the central bank typically drives national payment systems and authorises payment operators, implying central banks can design cross‑border connectivity rules for a CBDC.

How to extend

Using this, a student can look for whether central banks have bilateral/ multilateral agreements or interoperable standards enabling CBDC transfers without routing through existing correspondent banking (SWIFT) links.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 13: International Organizations > 1 SDR = 0.434 US Dollar + 0.293 Euro + 0.123 Yuan + 0.076 Yen + 0.074 Pound > p. 398
Strength: 4/5
“There are no notes and coins denominated in SDRs i.e., it is not present in hard currency and is thus called paper gold or notional currency. And SDRs cannot be held by private entities. But the SDR does play a role as an interest-bearing international reserve asset. The allocation of SDRs boosts its member countries' official reserves. While SDRs cannot be used to purchase goods and services directly, countries can exchange them among themselves. Once the SDRs have been added to a member country's official reserves, the country can exchange its SDRs for hard currencies, such as US dollars, Yen, Pound, Yen, Yuan through voluntary trading arrangements with other IMF member countries.”
Why relevant

Explains SDRs are not directly usable to buy goods/services and must be exchanged for hard currencies, highlighting that international settlements often require conversion into widely accepted reserve currencies.

How to extend

A student can use this pattern to ask whether CBDCs would need conversion into reserve currencies like the US dollar for international trade settlement, or whether direct CBDC‑to‑CBDC arrangements could substitute.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 7: Money and Banking > CRYPTOCURRENCIES > p. 160
Strength: 3/5
“A cryptocurrency is a digital money transferred over the internet. Cryptocurrencies are based on the decentralized ledger-based blockchain technology which seeks to make the currency system decentralized, unlike the present government-issued centralized form. Some popular cryptocurrencies are Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. However, the cryptocurrencies have the following disadvantages: • These are not backed by any physical assets, unlike the gold reserve in case of fiat currencies. • It is still prone to hacking, and there have been instances of theft of Bitcoins from digital wallet, making them risky. • The anonymity in use of cryptocurrencies may actually facilitate several illegal activities like terror funding, smuggling, drugs trade, money laundering and other criminal activities.”
Why relevant

Describes cryptocurrencies as decentralized internet‑transferred money and notes cross‑border transferability (and risks), providing an example of non‑dollar digital value transfer outside traditional rails.

How to extend

One could analogise that CBDCs might combine sovereign backing with decentralised rails to permit non‑USD cross‑border payments, then check legal/treatment and technical interoperability differences between crypto and CBDCs.

Statement 2
Can central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) be distributed with programmed conditions such as a time-frame or expiry for spending?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Understanding Economic Development. Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: SECTORS OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY > CHAPTER 3 : MONEY AND CREDIT > p. 37
Presence: 5/5
“In India, during November 2016, currency notes in the denomination of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 were declared invalid. People were asked to surrender these notes to the bank by a specific period and receive new Rs. 500, Rs. 2,000 or other currency notes. This is known as 'demonetisation'. Since then, people were also encouraged to use their bank deposits rather than cash for transactions. Hence, digital transactions started by using bank-to-bank transfer through the internet or mobile phones, cheques, ATM cards, credit cards, and Point of Sale (POS) swipe machines at shops. This is promoted to reduce the requirement of cash for transactions and also control corruption.”
Why this source?
  • Provides a concrete example where the central authority imposed a deadline to surrender and exchange currency (demonetisation), showing monetary units can be given time-limited validity.
  • Demonstrates that a sovereign issuer can legally and operationally set a time-frame for currency acceptance or exchange.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Advantages of CBDC > p. 79
Presence: 4/5
“For example, if a commercial bank collapses, then our savings could potentially be wiped out, but this would not be the case with CBDCs, which we can hold on to our own in digital form and could be as trusted as cash.• CBDCs would be as convenient as payment apps and it also benefits from the same blockchain technology (Distributed Ledger Technology) which supports crypto currency.• Payments would be faster and easier without any delay as there is no settlement issue• Legal tender-based payment which will be efficient, trusted and regulated.• Higher seigniorage due to lower cost of printing, transportation/distribution and storing paper currency.• Introduction of CBDC would lead to a more robust, efficient, trusted, regulated and legal tender-based payments option.• E-rupee would offer features of physical cash like trust, safety and settlement facility”
Why this source?
  • States CBDCs would use blockchain / Distributed Ledger Technology, a platform that can support programmable rules on digital assets.
  • Links the design of an e‑rupee/CBDC to technologies that make conditional or automated features technically feasible.
Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Why RBI launched e-Rupee? > p. 78
Presence: 3/5
“• Many Central Banks are worried that the widespread adoption of these independent crypto currencies could weaken their control over the financial system. This could cause financial instability especially because crypto currencies do not have the legal or the regulatory safeguard that the Central Bank money does, so why not issue a digital currency of their own.• Central banks seek to meet the public's need for digital currencies, manifested in the increasing use of private virtual currencies, and thereby avoid the more damaging consequences of such private currencies.• Central banks, faced with dwindling usage of paper currency, seek to popularize a more acceptable electronic form of currency like e-rupee.”
Why this source?
  • Explains why central banks would issue digital currency — to retain control over the financial system versus private crypto alternatives.
  • Implicates that central banks, when issuing a digital currency, have the motive and authority to design its features (including conditionality).
Pattern takeaway: UPSC loves 'Possibility' statements regarding emerging tech. If a technology *can* theoretically perform a function (like bypassing SWIFT or expiring), and that function solves a major global problem, the statement is almost always Correct.
How you should have studied
  1. [THE VERDICT]: Medium/Conceptual. Statement 2 is a standard feature mentioned in tech explainers (programmable money). Statement 1 is a logical inference from the 'De-dollarization' debates covered in Current Affairs.
  2. [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Money & Banking > Digital Public Infrastructure > Evolution of Money (Fiat -> Digital -> CBDC).
  3. [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: 1. **e-RUPI vs e-Rupee:** e-RUPI is a prepaid voucher (programmable), e-Rupee is legal tender (can also be programmable). 2. **SWIFT Alternatives:** SFMS (India domestic), SPFS (Russia), CIPS (China). 3. **Settlement Risk:** CBDC eliminates settlement risk (Herstatt risk) as it is central bank liability, unlike UPI (commercial bank liability). 4. **Offline Functionality:** CBDC can transact via NFC/Bluetooth without internet (unlike UPI). 5. **Wholesale vs Retail:** Wholesale (e₹-W) for interbank, Retail (e₹-R) for public.
  4. [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Don't just memorize definitions. Ask the 'Capability Question': What can this tech do that physical cash cannot? (Answer: Expire, restrict usage). What can it do that UPI cannot? (Answer: Cross-border settlement without correspondent banks).
Concept hooks from this question
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Central banks as architects of national payment systems
💡 The insight

Central banks design, regulate and control authorized national payment systems which determine how digital money is transferred domestically.

High-yield for UPSC because questions often probe institutional roles in financial infrastructure; links to topics on monetary policy, financial regulation and payment system reforms; helps answer policy and governance questions about who can implement or control CBDC-based payments.

📚 Reading List :
  • Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > 10.Oversight of payment and settlement systems > p. 70
🔗 Anchor: "Can central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) enable payments without using the US..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 CBDC as legal-tender digital money and its domestic features
💡 The insight

A CBDC is a central-bank-issued digital legal tender intended to provide cash-like trust, faster settlement and the technological features of digital payment systems.

Important for the exam because it frames debates on financial inclusion, digital payments and currency sovereignty; connects to fintech, currency design and debates over public vs private digital money; useful for questions asking advantages, risks and policy trade-offs of CBDCs.

📚 Reading List :
  • Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Advantages of CBDC > p. 79
  • Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Why RBI launched e-Rupee? > p. 78
🔗 Anchor: "Can central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) enable payments without using the US..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and limits of international reserve instruments
💡 The insight

SDRs are a notional international reserve asset that cannot be used directly for purchases and must be exchanged for hard currencies through arrangements among countries.

Relevant for international finance questions on reserve assets, alternative settlement mediums and constraints on non-dollar mechanisms; helps evaluate whether non-dollar instruments can practically replace dollar-based settlement systems in cross-border trade.

📚 Reading List :
  • Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 13: International Organizations > 1 SDR = 0.434 US Dollar + 0.293 Euro + 0.123 Yuan + 0.076 Yen + 0.074 Pound > p. 398
🔗 Anchor: "Can central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) enable payments without using the US..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Blockchain/DLT enables programmable features in digital currency
💡 The insight

Distributed Ledger Technology underpins CBDC design and enables automated, conditional rules on digital money.

High-yield for UPSC because it links technical design choices to policy outcomes (e.g., targeted transfers, expiry rules). Helps answer questions on digital payments architecture, fintech policy, and operational risks; connects to cyber security and payments regulation.

📚 Reading List :
  • Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Advantages of CBDC > p. 79
  • Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > What are Crypto currencies? > p. 77
🔗 Anchor: "Can central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) be distributed with programmed condi..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Central bank authority to set currency validity (demonetisation/expiry)
💡 The insight

A sovereign issuer can impose time-limited validity or deadlines for currency exchange, as in demonetisation.

Important for essays and prelims/GS papers on monetary tools and currency management; links to legal tender, monetary control, cash-to-digital transition and policy responses in crises.

📚 Reading List :
  • Understanding Economic Development. Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: SECTORS OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY > CHAPTER 3 : MONEY AND CREDIT > p. 37
  • Macroeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Money and Banking > Central bank > p. 38
🔗 Anchor: "Can central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) be distributed with programmed condi..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 CBDC issuance as a tool to preserve monetary control
💡 The insight

Central banks issue CBDCs to maintain control over money and counter private cryptocurrencies, allowing them to design currency features.

Useful for questions on currency sovereignty, regulatory policy, and macro stability; explains why design choices (programmability, limits) are policy levers and connects to financial stability and inclusion debates.

📚 Reading List :
  • Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Why RBI launched e-Rupee? > p. 78
  • Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 2: Money and Banking- Part I > Advantages of CBDC > p. 79
🔗 Anchor: "Can central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) be distributed with programmed condi..."
🌑 The Hidden Trap

The 'Offline Capability' of CBDC. While UPI requires internet/telecom, CBDC is designed to allow peer-to-peer transfers (wallet-to-wallet) via Near Field Communication (NFC) or Bluetooth in disconnected areas. This is the next logical question on CBDC features.

⚡ Elimination Cheat Code

Apply the 'Technological Possibility' Heuristic. Statement 1 uses 'It is possible' and Statement 2 describes a software feature ('condition programmed'). In the context of digital tech, unless a feature violates the laws of physics or basic economics, 'possibility' is usually True. Digital code is inherently programmable; therefore, Statement 2 must be correct.

🔗 Mains Connection

Link Statement 2 (Programmability) to **GS-2 Governance (DBT)**. Programmable CBDC solves the 'fungibility' problem in welfare—e.g., a fertilizer subsidy token that *cannot* be spent on alcohol. This ensures 'End-Use Verification' without administrative overhead.

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2018 · Q28 Relevance score: 2.70

With reference to digital payments, consider the following statements : 1. BHIM app allows the user to transfer money to anyone with a UPI-enabled bank account. 2. While a chip-pin debit card has four factors of authentication, BHIM app has only two factors of authentication. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

IAS · 2022 · Q39 Relevance score: 1.67

With reference to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), consider the following statements : 1. They enable the digital representation of physical assets. 2. They are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain. 3. They can be traded or exchanged a equivalency and therefore can be used as a medium of commercial transactions. Which of the statements given above are correct ?

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With reference to the Non-banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) in India, consider the following statements : 1. They cannot engage in the acquisition of securities issued by the government. 2. They cannot accept demand deposits like Savings Account. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

IAS · 2021 · Q23 Relevance score: 0.52

With reference to India, consider the following statements : 1. Retail investors through demat account can invest in 'Treasury Bills' and 'Government of India Debt Bonds' in primary market. 2. The Negotiated Dealing System-Order Matching' is a government securities trading platform of the Reserve Bank of India. 3. The 'Central Depository Services Ltd.' is jointly promoted by the Reserve Bank of India and the Bombay Stock Exchange. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

IAS · 2016 · Q66 Relevance score: 0.50

With reference to 'Bitcoins', sometimes seen in the news, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Bitcoins are tracked by the Central Banks of the countries. 2. Anyone with a Bitcoin address can send and receive Bitcoins from anyone else with a Bitcoin address. 3. Online payments can be sent without either side knowing the identity of the other. Select the correct answer using the code given below.