Trump's Return to the White House Could Complicate India's Blockchain and CBDC Ambitions

Experts are concerned whether Trump's “America First” policies may overlook India, despite both countries signing technology partnerships and considering each other as strong allies.

Donald Trump is a big fan of India and Hindu. His support for the country is good news, especially in the technology sector, with India being a strong ally in the U.S.’s America First policies. However, experts are concerned whether Trump’s policies may overlook India, despite both countries signing technology partnerships.

A Trump-led U.S. administration could shift the dynamics of the U.S.-India tech partnership, especially in blockchain, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, Amit Kumar Gupta, a legal practitioner at the Supreme Court of India, told CoinGeek.

“A Trump administration may adopt a more inward-focused approach, possibly limiting international AI collaborations. Given that India benefits from U.S. research funding and access to cutting-edge AI developments, a more isolated approach could affect India’s AI advancements, particularly in healthcare, cybersecurity, and smart cities, where AI is vital,” Gupta pointed out.

Under Trump’s ‘America First’ policy, as Trump revives his protectionist trade policies, he has promised hefty tariffs of 10-20% on imports, including a potential 60% on Chinese goods. China, India’s biggest trade partner, is also the world’s largest producer and exporter of electronics. According to Statista, compared to other countries, China generates the highest revenue in the consumer electronics market, at $198.5 billion in 2024.

An ‘America First’ approach could result in fragmented AI regulations between the U.S. and India, making compliance more difficult for Indian firms working with U.S. partners, Gupta said. Indian companies may struggle to navigate these varied regulatory environments, potentially hindering the adoption of AI technologies for a smarter, more connected future.

“A Trump-led administration may prioritize domestic blockchain projects over international collaborations, potentially reducing U.S. investment in India’s blockchain infrastructure. This shift could limit India’s access to resources and expertise needed to scale blockchain applications in trade and supply chain management, slowing its progress in these critical industries,” Gupta added.

Despite Trump’s support for cryptocurrencies, he has vowed to stop the introduction of a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC), expressing skepticism over its security.

“Tonight, I’m also making another promise to protect Americans from government tyranny. As your President, I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency,” Trump said in January.

“Such a currency would give the federal government, our government, the absolute control over your money. They could take your money, and you wouldn’t even know it was gone. This would be a dangerous threat to freedom and I will stop it from coming to America.”

This starkly contrasts India’s stance on CBDCs, which has been pushing to popularize the e-rupee. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) started its first digital rupee pilot in the wholesale segment two years ago on November 1, s, while the retail digital rupee pilot began on December 1, 2022.

“I think CBDC will facilitate cross-border payments in a much more efficient and cost-effective manner than anything else,” RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said at the Business Standard – BFSI Insight Summit.

The central bank also announced plans to make its e-rupee accessible to more retail users by including non-bank payment system operators to offer CBDC wallets. The move is expected to test how resilient India’s CBDC platform is in handling multi-channel transactions.

“If Trump’s administration takes a conservative approach toward blockchain-based digital currencies, this could complicate India’s plans to establish a cross-border, blockchain-friendly CBDC system. Without U.S. collaboration on regulatory frameworks for interoperable CBDCs, India’s vision for a blockchain-powered digital rupee may encounter obstacles, particularly in cross-border functionality with the U.S.,” Gupta pointed out.

Trump’s previous economic policies focused on financial sovereignty, imposing strict regulations on cross-border transactions, Gupta said. If revived, Indian companies using blockchain for cross-border payments and decentralized finance (DeFi) may face new compliance hurdles, disrupting efforts to streamline financial transactions between the U.S. and India.

“Trump’s back—and he’s not going to be holding back on India! Branding the nation a ‘big trade abuser; he’s going to be hinting at reigniting his first-term trade tensions, potentially slapping sky-high tariffs on over $75 billion of Indian exports to the U.S.,” Raj Kapoor, founder of India Blockchain Alliance, told CoinGeek.

“But don’t forget: the American tilt towards protectionism didn’t pause under Biden either. Buckle up—U.S.-India trade dynamics are about to get fiery and this is just the appetizer,” Kapoor added.

The RBI, however, is unperturbed by the U.S.