India’s decision will be crucial as more Asian nation countries weigh pros and cons of virtual currencies. Rival China, which banned initial coin offerings and virtual currencies in 2017, recently allowed Bitcoin trading as virtual property, not as fiat money. It is also planning its own central bank digital currency. Both Singapore and South Korea regulate crypto trades.

A renewed trading ban could affect more than 1.7 million Indians trading in digital assets and a rising number of companies setting up platforms for the trade, data shows.

Instead of a ban, India needs a regulatory framework to protect uninformed retail consumers “to ensure adequate oversight of the government and the RBI over cryptocurrency businesses,” said Sanjay Khan, Partner, Khaitan & Co, a New Delhi-based lawyer who advises firms. “India can actually benefit from such a regulation to attract cryptocurrency investors and businesses.”