https://www.scmp.com/rss/524747/feed The latest news and top stories on the India Blockchain Alliance (IBA). A New Delhi-based professional association, the IBA is dedicated to promoting and reinforcing blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) across India. Its main areas of focus include education, training, fostering collaboration among industry academia and government. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Asian digital entrepreneurs that once saw Dubai as a safe, well-connected base for global expansion are now reassessing that view after the US-Israel war on Iran exposed vulnerabilities in the city’s appeal as a financial and technology hub. For many investors and founders from India, China and Southeast Asia, the strain is not just about physical security but also about what disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has revealed about liquidity, credit and market confidence. Dubai has in recent... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3349694/how-gulf-conflict-recast-risks-asian-investors-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3349694/how-gulf-conflict-recast-risks-asian-investors-dubai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 07:00:11 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji As tech titans and world leaders descended on New Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit in February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set out his ambition for the country to become a major global power in artificial intelligence – a technology currently dominated by the United States and China. “My vision is that India should be among the top three AI superpowers globally, not just in the consumption of AI but in creation,” Modi told Asian News International in an interview about the summit. Top tech... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3344919/indias-ai-superpower-dream-lands-us200-billion-now-comes-hard-part?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3344919/indias-ai-superpower-dream-lands-us200-billion-now-comes-hard-part?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 06:00:13 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji One of the world’s most high-profile gatherings on artificial intelligence (AI) has opened in India, with analysts saying it could shift the focus from the race to build ever more powerful models to the challenge of deploying them at scale. As policymakers and tech executives convene for the India AI Impact Summit, they say the five-day event offers emerging and middle-ranking economies a chance to reframe AI as public infrastructure and work together to put it into public services, rather than... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343818/india-ai-summit-aims-shift-focus-model-races-scaled-reality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343818/india-ai-summit-aims-shift-focus-model-races-scaled-reality?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:00:12 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A New Year’s Eve flash strike by gig workers in India who provide commerce connectivity, such as through 10-minute doorstep deliveries, has drawn attention to their welfare, including the risk of accidents amid physical exhaustion. More than 200,000 gig workers staged protests across major Indian cities during the peak delivery period to highlight their demands for legislative protection, social security benefits and better wages, according to the Indian Federation of App Based Transport... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339617/gig-workers-strike-india-spurs-debate-human-cost-delivery-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339617/gig-workers-strike-india-spurs-debate-human-cost-delivery-race?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 10:46:24 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji India’s hard-won reputation as the world’s back office, built on trusted call-centre and IT services, is coming under pressure as increasingly sophisticated cyber scam networks emerge within the same digital ecosystem that underpins its outsourcing success. A police raid late last month on a Hyderabad call centre that allegedly trained tele-callers to mimic Australian accents has sharpened those concerns, with analysts warning that organised fraud rings could erode confidence in India’s service... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335229/indias-back-office-reputation-under-threat-amid-rise-sophisticated-cyber-scams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335229/indias-back-office-reputation-under-threat-amid-rise-sophisticated-cyber-scams?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:37:44 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji As governments worldwide debate the merits and dangers of digital currencies, India appears poised to launch its own state-backed stablecoin that uses government debt as collateral. Proponents argue that the Asset Reserve Certificate (ARC) could hasten the global drive towards de-dollarisation, lower India’s borrowing costs and create a “virtuous cycle” for public funding by diversifying the country’s investor base. By tying the token to sovereign debt, developers aim to create a transparent... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3333378/indias-debt-backed-stablecoin-challenge-us-dollar-dominance-explained?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3333378/indias-debt-backed-stablecoin-challenge-us-dollar-dominance-explained?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 07:08:33 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji A call by a prominent member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve for the country has stoked debate among digital finance experts over its feasibility. Insisting that New Delhi had a “unique opportunity to lead” and pointing to trailblazers such as Bhutan, party spokesman Pradeep Bhandari drew attention to whether India’s rapidly growing economy would benefit from a “measured bitcoin strategy” which could strengthen economic resilience and project... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317730/indian-official-eyes-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-unique-opportunity-lead-it-viable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3317730/indian-official-eyes-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-unique-opportunity-lead-it-viable?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 11:00:13 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The successful arrival of Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla at the International Space Station (ISS) marks a pivotal moment in the country’s evolving space strategy and signals its desire to join the ranks of global space powers, analysts have said. The move was also a stepping stone towards India’s first independent crewed mission by 2027 under the Gaganyaan programme, they added. The initiative is India’s effort to become the fourth country – after Russia, the United States and China – to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316169/india-space-power-delhi-eyes-lift-sector-after-astronaut-iss-milestone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316169/india-space-power-delhi-eyes-lift-sector-after-astronaut-iss-milestone?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 14:21:12 +0000