The Reserve Bank of India is looking to extend regulations for online payment aggregators to offline players that manage proximity or face-to-face transactions.
Saying that offline payment aggregators play a significant role in the spread of digital payments, the RBI added that this measure will bring in synergy in regulations covering activities and operations of payment aggregators. It will also aid convergence on standards of data collection and storage.
“Keeping in view the similar nature of activities undertaken by online and offline PAs, it is proposed to apply the current regulations to offline PAs as well,” said the central bank.
The announcement was a part of the Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies, released alongside the monetary policy statement on Friday.
The RBI had brought payments aggregators under regulations in March 2020, saying that they play an important role in the payments ecosystem. It had then designated them as ‘Payment System Operators (PSOs)’.
However, the current guidelines are only applicable to payment aggregators processing online or e-commerce transactions.
“It is important to bring the offline payment aggregators (PAs) at parity with online PAs since they also manage funds and undertake similar nature of financial activities. This decision means facilitating more secure, trustworthy, and accessible digital payment options to customers,“ said Dewang Neralla, CEO of NTT DATA Payment Services India.
Internet banking
The RBI also said that it is looking to rationalise the criteria for regional rural banks (RRBs) to provide Internet banking facilities to their customers, pertaining to which it will issue revised guidelines shortly.
“Keeping in view the need to promote the spread of digital banking in rural areas, the criteria for RRBs to be eligible to provide internet banking are being rationalised,” said the RBI.
Currently, RRBs are allowed to provide Internet banking facility to their customers with prior approval of the central bank and subject to fulfilment of certain financial and non-financial criteria.
The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) said it was involved in one of the programmes that has suggested measures to lend support to RRBs to improve their digital lending capabilities.
“By giving some relaxation to RRBs to offer internet banking facilities to their customers, the RBI is not only supporting this move of the government but also helping the rural customers to become digitally active customers,” said AK Goel, Chairman of IBA, and MD of Punjab National Bank.