Back in November, the Indian government launched what has to be one of the biggest social experiments ever conceived, when it announced the withdrawal of high-value banknotes from circulation.
Up until that time, 95% of all transactions in India were conducted using paper-based banknotes, making India one of the most cash-based societies on Earth. So when President Modi announced he was removing up to 86% of the country’s banknotes virtually overnight, he cannot have been surprised when huge swathes of the population reacted in panic, fear and anger.
As the dust begins to settle however, dissenting voices are gradually ceding ground to supporters who see Modi’s bold experiment as a potential master-stroke. India’s short-term pain will produce long-term benefit, because it will accelerate the push to digital currency and the modernisation of the Indian economy.