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India Rupee vs Bitcoin: 6 things you should compare

By March 16, 2021March 29th, 20224 minute read

The Indian crypto community has grown exponentially ever since the Supreme Court lifted the banking ban on digital currencies and the ongoing Bitcoin bull run. The gap between 1 BTC to INR continues to increase in value. 

In the process of educating ourselves about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, we have all asked how the Indian rupee (a fiat currency) is different from Bitcoins. To understand this, one needs to understand what Bitcoin is and what it brings to the table.  

What is Bitcoin?

A Bitcoin is a digital currency that is not issued by any government organization or a private institution. It is backed by powerful technology known as the “blockchain,” which makes the process trustless and prevents a single party from taking control over the process. Relative to fiat, Bitcoins provide a more secure, privacy-oriented, and cheaper way of transaction. 

The markets decide the value of the Indian rupee, Bitcoin, or any other asset. The constant rise of Bitcoin price in India over the years shows strong adoption trends of Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies

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INR vs. BTC – a comparison 

INR vs. BTC: Governance 

The biggest difference between the Indian rupee and Bitcoin is their governance. INR is issued by the Reserved Bank of India (RBI), India’s central bank and regulatory body. Like other fiat currencies, INR is centralized, and the supply could be changed according to the market demands.

On the other hand, Bitcoin is governed by the community, i.e., every decision regarding the blockchain and network will be taken by the miners. The voting process in the community follows the rule of 1 GPU: 1 vote. The supply of Bitcoin is predetermined by the algorithm, and so is the number of coins. 

INR vs. BTC: usability

Billions of Indians use the Indian rupee for multiple decades; like other fiat currencies, INR is mostly used in cash for day-to-day monetary needs. People can also transfer money from bank account to bank account via IMPS, NEFT, UPI, or by debit or credit cards. The cross-border transaction, where INR is converted to any other fiat, can be proved to be very costly and hence not a good option. 

Bitcoin, on the other hand, is a cheaper and dependable alternative for cross-border transactions. But the algorithm of Bitcoins restricts it for commercial purposes only; the transaction speed of Bitcoins is way lower than fiat. For instance, a MasterCard can carry out thousands of transactions per second, but Bitcoin can only carry out seven transactions per second, and if the network is busy, the price could shoot up. This leaves Bitcoin room to improve usability in day-to-day life. 

INR vs. BTC: How are new currencies made?

In the case of INR, as mentioned above, RBI mints new currencies. The supply is variable according to the economic conditions of India. 

Bitcoin’s transactions are supported by the community, the validators of Bitcoin transactions are known as miners, and they have to solve complex mathematical problems with the help of the computation power of their hardware. In return for their computation efforts, the algorithm rewards the miners with new Bitcoins, thus adding new Bitcoins to the supply. To further increase the demand, the supply of Bitcoin is fixed to 21 million. This process determines the Bitcoin price in INR, or any other currency for that matter.

INR vs. BTC: volatility

Since the whole country uses INR, it is important that it not be volatile. Due to this stable nature, you will find pairs like BTC to INR on Indian crypto exchanges. Traders can still trade INR on forex markets but less profitable than Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. 

Bitcoin is volatile in nature, so volatile that it sometimes makes moves worth lakhs of rupees in a matter of hours. But this volatile nature of Bitcoin helped it increase its value from less than INR 50 to more than INR 40 Lakhs.

INR vs. BTC: currency model

The value of INR depends on inflation, forex demand, economic conditions, and many other factors. Even though the RBI can’t directly influence INR’s forex value, it can alter the supply by minting more or less amount, potentially influencing the buying and selling power. 

Bitcoin comes into the category of the deflationary model of cryptocurrencies; this is because the mining reward is halved after every 210,000 blocks are mining. Also, the supply of Bitcoins has an upper market cap of 21 million. Due to these demand and supply rules, the price of BTC to INR is always on the rise. 

INR vs. BTC: investment

INR vs BTC investment
From: Tradingview

INR and other fiats are generally safer than cryptocurrencies and require skills for good returns. Forex markets are generally not volatile and are made for scalping. They are certainly not profitable as the BTC markets.

Even though cryptocurrencies are volatile, they can bring you significant returns if you play your cards right. The above chart shows the exponential growth of BTC over the years in the monthly time frame. 
Want to invest in Bitcoins from India? WazirX has got you covered with hundreds of cryptocurrencies from BTC to INR pairs. Sign up on WazirX right now.

Further Reading:

How to trade in cryptocurrency in INR?

What is a Cryptocurrency?

What is Bitcoin?

6 Things to Consider Before Investing in Bitcoin

4 Things to Consider Before Investing in Cryptocurrencies

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Bitcoin And How Does It Work?

Bitcoin is decentralized digital money that may be bought, sold, and exchanged without an intermediary such as a bank. Bitcoin is based on a blockchain that is considered to be a distributed digital ledger. As the name suggests, blockchain is a linked database made up of blocks that store information about each transaction, such as the date and time, total amount, buyer and seller, and a unique identifier for each exchange. Entries are linked in chronological order to form a digital blockchain

How To Convert Bitcoin To Cash?

There are many ways of converting Bitcoin to cash, such as crypto exchanges, Bitcoin ATMs, Bitcoin Debit Cards, Peer to Peer Transactions. You can use cryptocurrency exchanges such as WazirX for this. Unlike typical ATMs, which allow you to withdraw money from your bank account, a Bitcoin ATM is a physical location where you may buy and sell Bitcoins using fiat currency. Several websites provide the option of selling Bitcoin in return for a prepaid debit card that may be used just like a standard debit card. You can sell Bitcoin for cash through a peer-to-peer platform in a faster and more anonymous manner.

Is Bitcoin A Good Investment For The Future?

Some investors are afraid of the risks or devastation, but others are very eager to pursue the possibility of profit from a Bitcoin investment. A Bitcoin investment is similar to stock investing, except it can be more volatile.

How To Invest In Bitcoin?

Bitcoin may be invested in two ways: through mining or exchanges. Bitcoin mining is carried out by high-powered computers that solve challenging computational arithmetic problems that are too difficult to complete by hand and complex enough to tax even the most powerful computers. WazirX, a Bitcoin exchange, is another alternative.

What Is Meant By Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a digital currency that was initially released in January 2009. It is based on ideas offered by Satoshi Nakamoto, a mysterious and pseudonymous figure, in a whitepaper. The name of the person or individuals who invented technology has not been revealed. Bitcoin promises lower transaction fees than other online payment systems, and unlike government-issued currencies, it is decentralized.

How Does Bitcoin Technology Work?

The blockchain is the foundation of Bitcoin. It is a decentralized, distributed ledger that tracks the provenance of digital assets. The data on a blockchain can't be changed by design, making it a real disruptor in industries like payments, cybersecurity, and healthcare.

Is Bitcoin Cash A Good Investment?

Bitcoin Cash is a hard fork of Bitcoin formed in 2017 to address Bitcoin's scalability and challenges. Bitcoin Cash seeks to make global transactions faster, cheaper, and more secure. Bitcoin Cash is now accepted by thousands of online and offline businesses all over the world. Studied correctly, Bitcoin Cash may be an investment worthy of consideration.

Is Bitcoin Trading Is Legal In India?

In 2020, the Supreme Court of India lifted the RBI’s restrictions on cryptocurrencies. According to the Supreme Court, the existence of Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency is unregulated but not unlawful. The verdict has greatly aided the world of digital money in the country. To put it another way, investing in Bitcoin is perfectly legal, and you may do so through various apps and traders.

Is Bitcoin Legal In India?

In India, Bitcoin is not illegal. Because of cryptocurrency's rapid evolution, policymakers and regulators seemed to have recognized the chance to accept the new technology early. From the infamous 'RBI ban' in 2018 to reports of an impending bill banning cryptos in 2021 that has yet to develop, India has seen its fair share of ups and downs when it comes to Bitcoin regulation. Last year, the Supreme Court Of India approved the use of Bitcoin throughout the country. According to the Supreme Court, the existence of Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency is unregulated but not unlawful.

Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency is not a legal tender and is currently unregulated. Kindly ensure that you undertake sufficient risk assessment when trading cryptocurrencies as they are often subject to high price volatility. The information provided in this section doesn't represent any investment advice or WazirX's official position. WazirX reserves the right in its sole discretion to amend or change this blog post at any time and for any reasons without prior notice.
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