Bank of India Launches User-Level Programmable Digital Rupee with Auto-Issuance, Powered by Montran India

Bank of India has gone live with User-Level Programmable CBDC and Auto Issuance on its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) platform, built by Montran India, the companies announced today.  Built in line with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) guidelines, the capability was formally announced in Mumbai.

The feature lets a user schedule automatic issuance of digital rupee (e₹) to a beneficiary’s CBDC wallet, at a set amount and frequency, while defining the purpose the funds can be used for. Instead of authorizing the same transfer by hand every month, the sender configures it once. The system handles the recurrence, and the funds carry their intended use with them.

A parent supporting a child studying in another city can replace the manual monthly transfer with a standing instruction: a fixed sum, credited to the child’s e₹ wallet on the same date each month, spendable on tuition, meals and the other education expenses the parent approved in advance.

Key capabilities

•     User-level programmability of the digital rupee, configurable by the account holder rather than the issuing bank.

•     Auto Issuance of a predefined amount to a beneficiary’s CBDC wallet at a set frequency — no manual initiation required.

•     Purpose-based usage controls, so recipients spend within the parameters the sender defines.

•     Full automation of recurring payments without the sender giving up oversight of how the funds are used.

•     Built-in support for allowances, education expenses and other recurring, purpose-bound payments.

Julie Esca, Chief Executive Officer, Montran India, said, “Programmability turns the digital rupee from a payment instrument into a policy tool. Bank of India can now issue e₹ automatically and attach real usage conditions to it. That is a meaningfully different capability than a wallet-to-wallet transfer, and it points to where CBDC is headed in India.”

Ashutosh Mishra, General Manager & CTO, Bank of India, said, “User-level programmability gives customers greater flexibility and control over recurring payments. Auto Issuance further simplifies the experience by removing the need to manually initiate the same payment every month. This marks another important step in Bank of India’s digital rupee journey, implemented in collaboration with Montran India.”

The launch lands as RBI pushes the digital rupee beyond its original wallet-to-wallet design, extending pilots into welfare disbursement and cross-border payments and positioning e₹ as central to the next phase of India’s digital payments infrastructure. Auto Issuance gives banks a concrete answer to that mandate: a programmable, purpose-bound instrument that fits how Indian households already move money for school fees, allowances and recurring family expenses. For Bank of India and Montran India, it marks how far India’s CBDC has moved from proof of concept toward daily use.