The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and a consortium of 247 Indian banks jointly guide the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). This key player in India's financial system is now on the hunt for a veteran in blockchain technology. It is to research and identify areas within the existing payment structures where blockchain can add value.
The NPCI, responsible for the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), is in a hiring phase. UPI is a domestically developed payment method, designed to simplify bank-to-bank and consumer-to-merchant transactions. This effort to bring a blockchain specialist on board was confirmed through a recent job posting on LinkedIn.
The candidate they seek is no novice. The job description calls for a professional with at least six years of hands-on blockchain development and implementation experience. The individual will be expected to have a deep technical grasp of various blockchain frameworks and should have prior involvement in at least two experimental blockchain initiatives.
UPI has not only been a game changer within India but has also caught the attention of various countries. Financial institutions in Singapore, Malaysia, the UAE, France, Benelux nations, Nepal, and the United Kingdom have implemented UPI to different extents. Introducing blockchain into UPI's framework would potentially introduce the technology to a broad user base almost immediately. This would add another validation point for the same technology that has been fueling Bitcoin for close to 14 years.
Over 200 hopefuls have already applied for the NPCI's new role. The organization anticipates that interest in blockchain positions will only grow, especially as more practical applications of the technology come to light.
Across the globe in the United Kingdom, the National Crime Agency (NCA) is also stepping up its focus on blockchain but from a different angle. The NCA is recruiting senior investigators to specialize in cryptocurrency-related crimes, including high-profile fraud and money laundering cases. This development follows the January launch of the NCA's digital assets team, highlighting a greater focus on the oversight of digital currencies.
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