RBI Launches Unified Interface to Tokenize Assets

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced the Unified Markets Interface (UMI), a pioneering financial market infrastructure aimed at asset tokenisation. Announced in 2025 by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, UMI leverages blockchain technology and wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to digitise real-world assets. This innovation promises to enhance market efficiency, transparency, and accessibility.

Unified Markets Interface and Asset Tokenisation

UMI enables conversion of physical assets into digital tokens on a blockchain. This process creates fractional ownership, allowing global trading of smaller asset portions. Tokenisation improves settlement speed using smart contracts and broadens market access. The pilot phase of UMI has shown positive signs in boosting market efficiency.

Role of Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency

The interface integrates wholesale CBDC for asset settlements. Wholesale CBDC is a digital form of central bank money used by financial institutions. Its use in UMI ensures secure, fast, and transparent transactions. This integration is expected to reduce reliance on traditional intermediaries and lower transaction costs.

Account Aggregator Framework and Financial Inclusion

RBI’s Account Aggregator (AA) framework supports data integration to deepen financial inclusion. AA allows individuals to safely share financial data with regulated entities. It functions through Financial Information Providers (FIPs) and Financial Information Users (FIUs). Currently, 17 AAs serve 160 million accounts with billions of data requests annually. RBI plans to enhance onboarding, user interfaces, data security, and consent transparency within AA.

New Digital Payment Products by RBI

RBI launched four new products to complement UMI and AA frameworks. UPI HELP is an AI-driven Small Language Model assisting users with transaction queries in English, soon expanding to other languages. IoT Payments with UPI enables seamless device-based payments. Banking Connect offers an interoperable net banking solution to simplify online transactions. UPI Reserve Pay allows users to block credit limits for repeat purchases, enhancing e-commerce and app payments.

Future Prospects and Challenges

Success of UMI and AA depends on integrating diverse financial data and ensuring interoperability across platforms. Expanding data sources critical for assessing individual financial health remains a priority. These innovations aim to create a robust digital public infrastructure supporting inclusive and efficient financial markets in India.