What happens if India bans cryptocurrency? Join Moneycontrol Masterclass at 6 pm today to find out

Welcome To Moneycontrol Masterclass, a new edition from India's leading financial news platform, focussed on helping readers understand events and topics that really matter to them.

Moneycontrol has always modelled its journalism to help readers make sense of complex events through exhaustive reporting, deep analysis and sharp commentary. We shine a light on topics that matter so that readers are prepared to navigate the future and the forces shaping it.

It is with this ambition that we present Moneycontrol Masterclass—Ideas for a New India. In these live, virtual events, the sharpest minds from India and around the world will decode themes and trends that will shape a new India, spur innovation and disrupt the world as we know it. By unpacking vital details about a subject, we hope to give readers the ability to recognise changing trends across sectors.

We will assemble some of most respected voices who can go deep on important topics. As our editors discuss and debate with business leaders, we want you to join the conversations. After all, dear reader, Moneycontrol Masterclass is for you.

In the inaugural edition later today (6 pm onwards across all Moneycontrol platforms), we put the spotlight on one of the most fiercely discussed, and debated, topics in recent times — the government’s proposal to introduce a law to ban private cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and instead, unveil a framework for an official digital currency by the Reserve Bank of India.

Since the March 2020 decision by the Supreme Court to allow banks to handle cryptocurrency transactions from exchanges and traders, overruling the RBI ban, the industry has thrived. Cryptocurrencies make for a nearly 1.5 trillion-dollar industry. Bitcoin’s recent uptick — it glided past a record $50,000 earlier this week—has fuelled interest among investors.

Now the plan ban could turn out to be a major blow to the industry. What will be the impact? What does it mean to the cryptocurrency ecosystem in India? Can India afford to turn its back on new technologies?

To find out, we have assembled an A-list of experts, investors and policymakers. My colleague Chandra R Srikanth, the Tech, Startup and New Economy editor will be in conversation with Balaji S Srinivasan, Investor and Entrepreneur; R Gandhi; former Deputy Governor, RBI; Rashmi Deshpande, Partner, Khaitan & Co; Sumit Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO, CoinDCX; Nischal Shetty, Founder & CEO, WazirX, later today.

Looking forward to seeing you later today.