RBI printing arm tenders polymer substrates for ₹10 and ₹20 note trials
India’s currency-printing arm has issued a global tender for 68 million polymer substrate sheets to test ₹10 and ₹20 notes. If trials succeed, longer-lasting polymer currency could enter circulation alongside paper notes by 2027, reshaping cash handling for retailers and banks.
RBI’s currency-printing arm has issued a global tender for polymer substrates to trial ₹10 and ₹20 notes. If successful, durable plastic notes could circulate alongside paper currency by 2027, affecting India’s cash-payment ecosystem.
Why this matters
The tender extends RBI’s retail-cash and payments agenda, following calls for wider CBDC food-coupon pilots and RBI data showing household debt at 45.5% of GDP amid expanding unsecured retail credit.
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