RBI again warns of perils of Bitcoins, crowd-funding

Reserve Bank deputy governor R Gandhi today said finance sector watchdogs are closely watching emerging instruments like Bitcoins and crowd-funding, as they are seeking to operate in a "regulatory free" environment.
"For one thing, they both hope to operate in a regulatory free environment...(but) unregulated financial systems have immense scope of depriving the public of their hard-earned money and therefore highly risky...," he warned.
"We need to carefully monitor and be vigilant," he said, referring to digital money and crowd-funding.
He added that crypto currencies have been "widely suspected to have financed" criminal activities.
"These innovative developments, which have the potential to be disruptive, may not be so desirable or may be of questionable relevance," Gandhi added.

Later, he told reporters on the sidelines of the bankers summit Fibac here that capital markets regulator Sebi has already come out with a discussion paper on crowd funding and the issue may also be discussed in the Financial Stability and Development Council, a forum of financial sector regulators.

On Bitcoins, he said the RBI has already cautioned the public and continues to monitor the space.
To a question on the progress of the announcement of the domestically systemically important banks, Gandhi said it will be announced in two or three days, before the August-end deadline.
After the release of the small finance banks licences next month, the RBI is planning to come out with norms for "on-tap" licensing of banks, he said, adding the central bank may also look at other kinds of banks beyond in the differentiated banking space later.