India Having ‘Detailed Discussions’ With G20 Members on Crypto Regulation

India is having “detailed discussions” with other G20 members about forming a collective standard operating procedure (SOP) to regulate crypto assets, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has revealed. She also called for “a globally coordinated approach on the regulation of crypto assets” during her recent meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.

G20’s Crypto Regulatory Discussion Underway

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman answered some questions regarding crypto mining and regulation on Monday in Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s parliament.

Noting that cryptocurrencies are largely unregulated in India at the moment, Sitharaman explained: “Whether it’s mining or whether it’s the asset or whether it’s the transaction, we recognize that it is very, completely almost, driven by technology, and a standalone country’s effort in controlling or regulating it is not going to be effective.” She added:

There is an evolving consensus and that’s why in the G20, we are raising this issue and having detailed discussions with the members so that a standard operating protocol [SOP] emerges after the discussions.

The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the U.K., the U.S., and the European Union. The G20 members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

The Indian finance minister further told parliament that the aim of the discussions with other G20 members is to have “a coherent, comprehensive approach where all countries work together in bringing some regulation — whether it’s mining, whether it’s transacting — and therefore all this is being looked at comprehensively.” She emphasized:

We are working together to get a collective SOP on it.

Sitharaman similarly told reporters on Saturday that the issue of regulating crypto assets will be taken up at G20 meetings under India’s presidency.

“Crypto is heavily tech led and less of human intervention,” the Indian finance minister was quoted by PTI as saying. “We are talking to all nations that if regulation has to be framed then one country cannot frame it alone. So we are speaking to all for forming a standard operating procedure so that it is effective … All these are part of…