This enthusiasm would explain the Indian government's concerns, given its refusal to recognise
cryptocurrencies as legal tender and warnings against investing in them.
While bitcoin isn't
recognized as legal tender in the country, many retailers have already begun accepting the cryptocurrency as payment.
The Indian government does not recognize
bitcoin as legal tender and its overall legal status remains somewhat murky.
Although the cryptocurrency is not followed
as a legal tender in many nations the trading of cryptocurrency happens without any hassle in other nations.
A number of central banks are seriously studying whether digital currencies backed by global central banks can be
used as a legal tender such as the Indian central bank.
In most countries cryptocurrencies are not
recognised as legal tender and are only regulated to the extent that they fit within existing laws, such as tax laws.
The future of cryptocurrency in the system lies partly on how well it is integrated and accepted in the
society as a legal tender.
Since cryptocurrencies aren't
recognized as legal tender nor a financial instrument, the regulations will chalk cryptocurrency exchanges under «unauthorized fundraising», according to the report.
It was the first major economy to bestow legitimacy on virtual currencies, by recognising Bitcoin and other virtual
currencies as legal tender in April of 2017.
FinCEN's regulations define currency (also referred to as «real» currency) as «the coin and paper money of the United States or of any other country that [i] is
designated as legal tender and that [ii] circulates and [iii] is customarily used and accepted as a medium of exchange in the country of issuance.»
University of Nicosia in Cyprus announced today that it will accept the digital - only currency
as legal tender for tuition and fees.
For example, Ecuador adopted the U.S.
dollar as legal tender in 2000 after the Ecuadorian - issued currency, the sucre, depreciated rapidly such that $ 1 was worth 25,000 sucres.
Japan has been on the cutting edge of Bitcoin infrastructure ever since the digital currency was recognized
as legal tender back in April.
Japanese authorities recognized bitcoin
as legal tender last April and require cryptocurrency exchanges to register with the government.
In Japan, Bitcoin is already
treated as legal tender, while Russia is currently drafting legislation to regulate cryptocurrencies and ICOs.
Russian president Vladimir Putin publicly said cryptocurrencies had «serious risks,» and yet he just called for the development of a new digital currency, the «cryptoruble,» which will be used
as legal tender throughout the federation.
A gift of virtual currency, such as bitcoin, to charity or a donor - advised fund is not recognized by the
IRS as legal tender.
The Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI), a chain of 1,156 volcanic islands and islets in the Pacific with a population of over 70,000, could see a cryptocurrency
as legal tender as early as this year.
The Central Bank of Egypt refuses to accept digital currencies and recognizes only the Egyptian
pound as legal tender.
He also added that cryptocurrencies can not be
branded as a legal tender and that the government shall «strongly respond to excessive cryptocurrency speculation and illegal activity.»
His speech echoed the fact that Indian government does in no way recognise Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin
same as a legal tender but is equally welcoming towards the spread of blockchain technology for pioneering payment gateways.
In Japan, Bitcoin has been recognized
as legal tender since April, a huge contrast to China and South Korea, who hinder and ban blockchain tech altogether.
Rumors of cryptocurrency being accepted
as legal tender offered a temporary reprieve from the month's freefalling market value.
Although cryptocurrencies have a reputation for being used on the darknet for drug transactions and facilitating ransomware attacks, a growing number of legitimate, legal outlets accept
Litecoin as legal tender.
«The purpose of this Act is to declare and issue a digital decentralized currency based on blockchain
technology as legal tender of the Republic of Marshall Islands,» reads the bill, posted in the Sovereign's official Telegram channel.
In most countries, the U.S. included, digital currencies are not recognized
as legal tender so investors have little to no recourse when their funds are stolen.
As bitcoin struggles to find its
place as a legal tender for business transactions in many countries, director and registrar of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe's Central Bank, Norman Mataruka has raised more doubts about the cryptocurrency's authenticity in the country by an official statement released earlier this week.
According to the press release, one of the documents is entitled «On Digital Financial Assets», confirming that the country does not wish to accept Bitcoin or other digital
tokens as legal tender.
After Korea announced plans to regulate crypto exchanges earlier this week, confirming that it wouldn't ban them as some feared, India stepped up to the plate to announce that it doesn't recognize crypto
cash as legal tender.
«In addition to the bank not recognizing virtual
currencies as legal tender in Namibia, it also does not recognize it to be a foreign currency that can be exchanged for local currency.
By 2017, the currency is
recognised as legal tender in Japan and Russia, as well as noting a 600 % increase in online traders using the currency.
At only two pages, the concise bill is not very substantive, save for a brief classification of «virtual currency» as «any type of digital representation of value that; 1) Is used as a medium of exchange, unit of account or store or value; and 2) Is not recognized
as legal tender by the United States government.»
The Finance Minister of India also said that at present, the Indian Government does not recognises Bitcoin
as a legal tender of money.
It was more noticeable with the start of 2018 when a significant drop - off in interest as several news told that cryptocurrencies would not be
accepted as legal tender in India, something finance minister Arun Jaitley emphasized in his budget speech in February.
Just as news - driven events have been a positive for bitcoin, such as Japan allowing it to be accepted
as legal tender last year, news events can also drag bitcoin down.