RBI to Introduce Offline Capability for E-Rupee Transactions

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announces the introduction of offline functionality for e-rupee transactions to facilitate payments in areas with poor or limited internet connectivity. This move aims to enhance accessibility and usability of the Central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot project.

Offline Transactions for Digital Rupee Users

• Offline functionality to be added to CBDC-R (Retail) for transactions in areas with poor internet connectivity.
• Testing of multiple offline solutions, including proximity and non-proximity based, in various geographic locations.

Enhanced Programmability for CBDC

• Introduction of programmability-based use cases to expand transaction capabilities.
• Additional use cases such as defined benefit payments by government agencies and specified expenditures by corporates to be enabled.

Security Enhancements for Aadhaar Enabled Payment Systems (AePS)

• Streamlining the onboarding process for AePS touch point operators to enhance security.
• Adoption of a principle-based “Framework for authentication of digital payment transactions” to facilitate the use of advanced security mechanisms.

Modernization of Authentication Methods

• Move towards advanced authentication methods beyond SMS-based authentication for digital payment transactions.
• Proposal to issue instructions shortly regarding mandatory due diligence for AePS touch point operators.