New Delhi, Sept. 12 -- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday urged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to accelerate work on its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), saying the digital rupee will become increasingly important as tokenisation, agentic artificial intelligence and quantum computing reshape financial markets.

Addressing the Global Fintech Fest 2026 in Mumbai, Sitharaman asked the RBI to build on its wholesale and retail CBDC pilots and further strengthen its capabilities around the digital rupee.

She highlighted India's first tokenised corporate bond pilot, saying the simultaneous movement of the asset and money legs demonstrated the role of CBDC in enabling faster settlement.

The pilot, conducted by REC under the Sec...