India is about to enter a crucial testing phase in its national financial digitization strategy, with plans to launch ARC – a stable digital asset Peg 1:1 to the rupee – in the first quarter of 2026. ARC is being developed in partnership with Polygon and Anq, two prominent players in the global blockchain ecosystem. The launch of ARC is seen as a complementary step to the Reserve Bank of India’s digital currency (CBDC), aiming to expand the application of digital assets in business operations while ensuring strict management requirements of the monetary authority.
As per the current plan, ARC will operate on a two-tier model, with Token Mint reserved for approved corporate accounts, completely limiting the free supply creation like many international stablecoins. ARC conversions will also be limited to whitelisted addresses, using a control mechanism through Uniswap v4 hooks to ensure all asset flows are transparent according to Indian standards.
