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“Be careful or be roadkill.” – Calvin (Calvin & Hobbes) There are two kinds of fintech: the conscientious and the reckless. The former treads with caution. They know that being cavalier isn’t an option if you deal with public money. Then there’s the reckless. The sort that calls your grandmom if you default on aRead more
An analysis of whether India really needs a central bank digital currency. The United States wants to ‘get it right than to be first’. That’s what Jerome Powell, US Federal Reserve’s chairman said about the digital Dollar two years ago. The United States still doesn’t have a central bank-backed digital currency (CBDC). Meanwhile in India, RBI just piloted the digital RupeeRead more
A sneak peek at a fintech founder’s diary as she navigates business opportunities and regulatory curveballs. A Tale of Two Cities begins with the now immortal lines: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. If Charles Dickens wrote about the Indian fintech ecosystem today, we think it would be eerily similar,Read more
A letter from a disgruntled Rs.100 note reminding UPI that cash is still king. “This is an outstanding accomplishment. It indicates the collective resolve of the people of India to embrace new technologies and make the economy cleaner.” – PM Modi That’s PM Modi lauding UPI crossing 6 billion transactions in July. Like any icon,Read more
A dissection of why credit card payments through UPI may not be as convenient, accepted, and trusted. RBI has proposed linking credit cards (CC) to UPI. It’ll, to start with, allow Rupay credit card payments through UPI rails. And in the due course, allow other CC issuers to come on board. Credit on UPI has beenRead more
An analysis of RBI’s card directions that restrict fintech’s access to card transaction data and their interplay with RBI’s outsourcing guidelines. In April 2022, RBI notified the directions on Credit and Debit Cards. In these directions, it asked co-branding partners to keep their hands off card transaction data. The RBI has, this time, gone straight for the fintechRead more
A Bandersnatch-inspired story that follows a fintech entrepreneur as she tries to monetize a payments business in India. In the film Bandersnatch, viewers make decisions for the main character – the young game programmer Stefan Butler. It is an interactive ‘choose your own adventure’ film. You, the viewer, make choices for Stefan. Your choices determine Stefan’s fate.Read more
A deep dive on how payments infrastructure has been weaponized in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “I need ammunition, not a ride.”– Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky Ammunition, turns out, comes in many shapes and sizes. There’s missiles, tanks, Molotov cocktails and threats from Ukrainian grandmothers. And then there’s payments infrastructure. Governments and corporates across the world are fightingRead more
“Whatever the truth, science today agrees that everything is destined to return to Chaos. It calls this inevitable fate entropy: part of the great cycle from Chaos to order and back again to Chaos.” – Stephen Fry, Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold Hello Reader,The ancient Greeks believed the first divine beings – the sky, the earth, theRead more