Soon, Send Money through WhatsApp via BHIM

As PayTM announced its foray into messaging business, WhatsApp is doing the opposite. WhatsApp is getting closer to enabling payments over United Payments Interface as the feature was spotted in the beta version of the app. The beta leak from WAbetaInfo stated that WhatsApp Payments will offer bank-to-bank immediate transfer with the UPI.

It seems like payments are the new frontier for messaging apps. The user needs to agree to the terms and conditions put forth by WhatsApp, National Payments Corporation of India and banks.

WhatsApp Payments will be a boost for Digital India and Make In India mission as it uses indigenous technology which is developed here in India. The UPI saw a 12% growth in the total transaction volumes taking place between June and July 2017. The Number of transactions grew by 1.28 million in July 2017 whereas the total amount transacted increased by, up by Rs 313 crores. In June 2017, volume had increased by 1.19 million and amount transacted had grown Rs 333.05 crores.

Dr Ajay Kumar, additional secretary for Ministry of Electronics and IT confirmed this news via Twitter. Proposed WhatsApp Payment system in India to be powered by NPCI BHIM app, he tweeted. Information regarding UPI payment address is yet unclear. Users on BHIM are allowed to select the primary and secondary address on its own @upi handle. For example, you can send me money on my UPI handle at theindiancapitalist@upi. Samsung Pay with its partnership with Axis Bank uses @pingpay handle. Experts are of an opinion that WhatsApp Payment users may get the choice of using both @upi and @whatsapp UPI handles.

WhatsApp has more than 200 million user base in India. It is also amongst the most misused application in India. Indians are continuously affected by scams, fake news and data stealing scandals on WhatsApp. For security purposes, WhatsApp needs to verify user KYC details. Some security protocols will need to be implemented around payments through WhatsApp. If it decides to use Aadhaar, then we will have to enable biometric authentication. It can also use BHIM enabled BharatQR for additional security features.

Payments through messaging app are widely used in China. Alipay and WePay have combined 1.1 billion users. Online payments through non-bank payment services in China expanded 60 per cent in the first quarter to 47 billion transactions valued at 26.47 trillion yuan (US$3.9 trillion), 43 per cent more than last year. India's payment revolution is sparked by Modi's daring demonetisation announcement. PayTM and BHIM was an instant hit among locals. PayTM's messaging app and BHIM partnership with WhatsApp will bring golden days in digital payment space in India.

- Chaitanya Kulkarni.

BharatQR - The Make in India payment movement

Scan and Pay! Quick Response codes have been in the Indian payments market for more than 3 years but its large scale acceptability was only witnessed post demonetisation.  Scan and Pay is a mobile-based payment facility that enables fund transfer by scanning a QR code using an app which supports this feature. It can be used for making payments at merchant outlets, e-commerce websites and grocery stores, among others. Customers simply need to scan the QR code of the merchant and fill the transaction amount. The amount gets transferred from customers bank account to merchant's bank account in seconds. It eliminates the need of expensive PoS machines and cards. PayTM was the largest beneficiary of cash ban as it had invested Rs. 600 crore of QR code technology. Even road side vendors accepted PayTM as trustworthy and easy to use payment solution.

India has 330 million debit cards holders against 1.5 million PoS machines. To eliminate the mismatch, Visa was the first to introduce mVisa back in 2015. During the demonetisation, Mastercard launched its MasterPay QR code service with RBL Bank. All these initiatives failed that they lacked interoperability. Collaboration is the key element for success in the payments industry. Visa, RuPay, MasterCard and American Express came together to announce BharatQR - a unique and inter-operable QR code standard, that lets merchants accept push payments from their customers.

India has the most sophisticated public payments infrastructure in the world. - Raghuram Rajan, former RBI Governor

BharatQR is the first of its kind initiative in the world where payment providers join hands to simplify the way we pay. No other country in the world has this kind of technology. India is the pioneer in QR code payments technology. We can be a guiding light for other economies in the field of public inclusion in digital payments. BharatQR is cheaper and easy to operate when compared to conventional PoS machines.

BharatQR is an open network solution. If a merchant has a BharatQR code, I can pay the merchant regardless of

• Which issuing bank’s app I am using (e.g. ICICI Pockets, HDFC Payzapp).
• Which card network’s card I have connected to the issuing bank’s app (e.g. Visa/Rupay/Mastercard/Amex).
• Which acquirer has setup the merchant account, and given him his BharatQR.

Currently, 10 issuers, 14 acquirers and 4 card networks have already signed up for BharatQR, and more (around 20) are expected to join in the next month. To use BharatQR, users need to install BHIM app or mobile banking apps of respective nationalised banks. BharatQR will act as a disruptor in payments scene in India but it's not an inclusive solution for 1.2 billion Indians. Feature phones have a penetration of more than 50% in India. Though BHIM works on all feature phones, yet the process to pay is too difficult to understand for first time users. For greater adaptability, payment providers and banks need to launch interoperable and secure solution for all Indians.

Tap and Pay with NFC is a far greater technology than Scan and Pay. Recently, Reliance Jio announced that its JioPhone would come NFC payments feature. Nearly all 4G enabled feature phones in coming months will have this technology. We are here talking about a technology similar to Apple Pay and Samsung Pay but superior due to its zero operational costs and wider acceptability. NFC payment receivers can be installed at trains stations, public buses and stores. India's largest bank, State Bank of India has said that it will install NFC receivers in 1,00,000 PoS machines. Post demonetisation, India is looking to find the perfect payment solution for conventional debit cards. Whether its Scan and Pay, Tap and Pay or Fingerprint banking, we are leading in inclusive payments technology.

- Chaitanya Kulkarni

iRobot cleaning robot launched in India.

From Star-wars to Wall-E, our imaginations have captured all sort of philosophical implications of robots. So much so that Robots pass for human beings or nearly so Robots that have been programmed for love! Robots have become a part of our lives today. Be it in manufacturing, intelligent software or home automation. In our busy schedule, an average consumer hardly gets any time for any household work. Apart from daily household chores like washing dishes and laundry, your house needs a deep cleaning. In India, deep cleansing is mostly done before festivals like Diwali and Eid. But, experts suggest that cleaning has a direct relation with the health of your loved ones. Deep cleaning would ensure dust free and germ-free living.

TIC throws light on one such unique product. Puresight systems have launched iRobot Braava Jet Moping robot. Braava jet cuts through the day-to-day mess of life and delivers fresh and clean floors. iRobot Braava Jet is equipped with compact design, vibrating cleaning head, precision clean spray and intelligent moping pads. With more than 15 million robots sold, iRobot team focuses on strong research and development with added focus on efficient end user experiences.

iRobot Jet Braava Mop Robot moves across the room efficiently sensing in obstacles in its path. The precision jet spray and cleaning head helps loosen dirt and stains. When Braava jet is finished cleaning, users don’t have to worry about touching the dirty cleaning pads. Simply place the robot over a waste basket and hit the eject button to drop the pad into the trash. To keep Braava jet from entering unwanted areas, such as an adjacent room without a door or a carpeted area, users can create an invisible boundary with Virtual Wall Mode.

  

Customers can also download the iRobot HOME App to get the most out of their Braava jet mopping robot. Available for Android and iOS devices, the HOME App allows users to access the CLEAN button to start or stop Braava jet, use Spot Clean for a quicker, deeper clean of a smaller area, easily get software updates. Braava jet comes with long lasting lithium ion battery, a battery charger and two of each cleaning pad. Braava jet is available on irobot.in at the launch price of Rs. 17,990.

Chatbots are transforming Insurance tech space.

We all text more than ever before with our family and friends. It is now time to take the conversation to the whole new level. Conversations help us build effective relationships in a business environment. Uber’s Chris Messina has coined the swanky term for robotic texting as ‘conversational commerce’. It refers to the trend of interacting with businesses through messaging and chat apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Zendesk or voice technology like Amazon Echo. Introducing Chatbots, a computer program which is designed to have conversations with the end user. A set of text algorithms ensures that the end user feels like texting with a human.

‘’We’re in the midst of a once-in-a-decade paradigm shift. Messaging is the new platform, and bots are the new apps. The shift radically changes end-user experiences and developer frameworks and inevitably will change business models, how we monetize, and how we advertise.’’ – Sundar Pichai, Google.

A chatbot is a computer program that maintains a conversation with a user in natural language, understands the intent of the user, and sends a response based on business rules and data of the organisation. Mobile messengers like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and WeChat have gone global with more than a billion users of each. Users prefer to transact on messengers than on apps as it is an effective form of direct communication. TechCrunch data reveals that average user has about 20 apps installed on his phone. The app boom has resulted in consumer reluctance especially in a country like India where data deficiency is common.

“People-to-people conversations, people-to-digital assistants, people-to-bots … that’s the world you’re going to get to see in the years to come.” – Satya Nadella, Microsoft

Brands are constantly looking for efficient user experience. India’s leading private general insurer, ICICI Lombard is constantly innovating for holistic experience to its customers by building effective conversational commerce. Chatbots are transforming customer acquisition and retention with smart interactive responses. ICICI Lombard has four chatbots under implementation which are part of their digital innovation strategy. Chatbot projects in focus on fire insurance and two-wheeler insurance has already gone live.

ICICI Lombard has automated the process of purchasing two-wheeler insurance through a chat bot. Users can proceed with the chat on ICICI Lombard official website where the chatbot would require your basic information and policy number, in case of renewal to assist you well. The chatbot can assist you in pricing, terms and conditions and regulatory requirements. The facility allows you to upload necessary files and photos which are required as per IRDA mandate. ICICI Lombard Facebook chatbot for health insurance is currently under-development.

Chat based assistance is fruitful for individual customer but when it comes to corporate clients, email is the way-to-go. Email based chatbot by ICICI Lombard is transforming the ease of doing business in fire insurance. This chatbot enables faster quote generation with prospective clients without any human interference. Transaction time has drastically reduced. Since fire insurance quotes depend upon the area and the line of business the client operates in, email based chatbots ensures EODB for both client and insurer.

Chatbots were initially designed to automate business function. ICICI Lombard, in an industry first has deployed HR chatbot which works as an add-on on Yammer, a social networking site for corporates. Employees can access HR services on-the-go. The HR chatbot helps you connect with your teams and natural groups and have live conversations with them in a secured way. Employees can raise queries, schedule leaves and manage emoluments 24/7, giving employees on the field instant access to transactions and HR data, regardless of location or time zone.

ICICI Lombard has been the early adopters of fintech in multiple functions. Technology plays the role of enabler in the enterprise. Chatbots are currently in initial stages of functioning. In future, we would see more interactive conversations with regional understandability and support. In India, the accessibility of chatbots in regional languages would ensure last mile reachability. It is an undeniable fact that Artificial Intelligence will take financial services business in India to the whole new level.

Insurance of the month : Edelweiss Tokio TotalSecure +

Insurance is a cover against uncertainties of life. If you are buying insurance as an investment, you are doing it all wrong as there are better alternatives of investment that can beat inflation. Insurance is tailored to beat financial shocks after an unfortunate event. Insurance not only plans for you but also for your loved ones. It is an important factor while planning for the future. It ensures that under all circumstances your family continues to maintain their lifestyle and meet their dreams as well as aspirations. In this era of uncertainty, we look for a worry-free protection plan which not only give us a plain cover, but also aid us against diseases as well as disability. The answer is here - TotalSecure+ from Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance. This insurance plan acts as a shield against 35 critical illnesses, the highest protection at lower cost. Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, the new age life insurance company takes pride over their TotalSecure+ policy.

TotalSecure + is an online - comprehensive protection plan. Financial experts always recommend term insurance plans as they ensure protection at low price point. Term insurance protection is often an ideal choice for people in their family-formation years because they are cheaper and it allows them to buy high levels of protection when the need for protection is often greatest.

Edelweiss Tokio Life TotalSecure+ is an exclusively online - protection plan designed for customers who want things done at ease on their mobile phone or laptops. Online exclusive plans give hassle free buying experience and are inexpensive as they exclude the cost incurred by the agent. Edelweiss Tokio Life TotalSecure+ is a feature rich plan with USP of add-on health cover options. With increasing cases of critical illnesses like heart disease and cancer, it is recommended to have critical illness cover. Edelweiss Tokio Total Secure + would cut down the financial burden of hospital bills on family members. Life with Comprehensive Health Cover treating 35 critical illnesses costs Rs. 13,730* for a 30 year non-smoker male. Comprehensive Health Cover provides critical illness benefit of Rs. 10 lacs and death benefit up to Rs. 1 crore. The death cover is applicable till the age of 70.

TotalSecure+ policy is highly flexible when it comes to premiums and claim settlement. Customer has a flexible premium pay option for Basic Life Cover wherein he or she could choose single pay, regular pay or limited years pay (5,10,15, 20, 25) option. In case of any unfortunate event of death, nominee can choose between monthly payout or lumpsum payout. Monthly payout option of 30, 60, and up to 120 months will be provided with 5% interest.

Edelweiss Tokio Life TotalSecure+ term plan provides relief to tax payers. Tax benefit is applicable for this policy under Section 80C, 80D and 10D of Income Tax Act, 1961. At glance, TotalSecure+ looks appealing and seems efficient in terms of cost incurred to benefits. theindiancapitalist.com advises to choose lumpsum benefit as the remaining amount not needed can be invested in other sources of investment which beat inflation.

Disclaimer : This is a sponsored content. I have provided all information based on my research. Insurance is a matter of solicitation.

You can buy TotalSecure+ here.

Now travel cashless with IndusForex.com

Good news for all who love to travel abroad. Now get rid of foreign currency notes as now you can travel abroad with forex cards at zero conversion charges. IndusInd Bank has launched IndusForex.com, a one-stop portal for all foreign exchange needs of Indian consumers. With the help of this portal, one can buy multi-currency foreign exchange cards and reload it anytime, anywhere in 8 different currencies. The portal also gives the freedom to sell the foreign exchange currency after the international trip has been completed.

Since the world is now less dependent on cash, you can use your Visa card from IndusForex.com for shopping abroad. Visa is the largest payments provider with more than 1.7 million PoS terminals. One of the key benefits of this portal is that the customers can buy multi-currency forex card with zero currency conversion charges. The customer, therefore, clearly saves while exchanging the currency as no currency conversion mark-up is charged. Moreover, customers can enjoy ATM withdrawals abroad without any charges, which are usually levied by other cards. The portal also provides telegraphic transfers for outward remittance and transfer of funds in 16 currencies.

IndusForex card can be availed or reloaded simply by logging in at www.indusforex.com. It is a simple, secured & paperless transaction, which can be done before departure and during transit with any one or all of the 8 available currencies, namely Australian Dollar (AUD), Canadian Dollar (CAD), EURO (EUR), Great Britain Pound (GBP), Singapore Dollar (SGD), Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR), UAE Dirham (AED) and US Dollar (USD).

IndusForex prepaid cards are accepted across the world and with all merchants accepting Visa cards. The frequent overseas travellers can reload their IndusForex prepaid cards by purchasing foreign currency through their smartphones.

Even a non-IndusInd Bank customer is eligible for availing this card from the IndusForex portal or any IndusInd Bank branch after a simple application process. It will be delivered at their doorstep in less than two days.

IndusInd Bank believes in serving its customers better with inclusive use of technology.

-Chaitanya Kulkarni ( theindiancapitalist.com )

Welcome FY 2017-18. What it means for you and India

FY 2016-17 was a unique year for Indian financial systems. Breaking the age-old tradition of presenting budget on the last day of February. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, for the first time in the history of India presented the combined rail and general budget on the first day of February. In the era of uncertainty, India stood as a shining star with the tag of ‘Fastest Growing Economy on the planet’. Industry players were sceptical about India’s growth story after the controversial move of demonetisation. The sudden banning of big notes costed India a dip of 0.6% in its GDP but a large section of people supported the move as some referring it to a ‘Surgical Strike on Black Money’. For the very first time, millions of Indians got the chance to use digital payments platforms. PayTM and the government promoted BHIM is now on the ‘Never to delete’ list in our smartphones. Will FY2017-18 be the beginning of the ‘Achhe Din’? Let’s analyse.

India’s role in the Global Economy

The world economic growth for 2016 at 3.1% was the lowest since the 2008 Financial Crisis. The never ending Middle East war, China’s slowdown, low oil prices, Brexit impacted with major cuts in growth estimates. The situation looks slightly better for upcoming year.

India has become the sixth largest manufacturing nation in the world, rising from the previous ninth position. Recognising the strength of strong economic fundamentals and consumer demand, the impact of demonetisation will gradually fade away. The World Bank expects India’s economy to grow at 7.6% in FY2017-18. Here are the key takeaways from Central Statistic Organisation outlook for FY2017-18.

Retail Inflation - 4% to 4.5% | Fiscal Deficit – 3.2% of India’s GDP | INR - ₹64 to ₹66

Among emerging economies, if there is any growth, that is in India. India is among the few bright spots in the global economy – Christine Lagarde, Chief, IMF

Goods and Service Tax

GST is the most anticipated single indirect tax for the entire country, which aims to make India one unified common market. Important bills related to Central GST, State GST, Inter-state GST and UT-GST are currently under consideration in Rajya Sabha. The four tier GST structure of 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28% is likely to be implemented by July 1, 2017. The bill is hailed by industry experts as it likely to lead to ease of doing business, competitiveness and spurring growth. CBEC GST Mitra helpdesk is well equipped to deal with queries related to GST.

The JAM troika

Jan dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile. These three words changed the way we pay. To ensure last mile reach, government encouraged people all from the sections of the society to open a bank account and use RuPay debit card.  With 40 crore Aadhaar linked accounts, more attention was given to ‘the way we pay’. The game changer move of payments bank was quickly adopted by India Post, PayTM, NSDL and others. India Post Payment Banks has plans to create 1.55 lakh access points in 650 districts across the postal networks through-out India. Payments Bank operating in rural India have herculean task to ensure that Rural Bharat and Urban India is on the same page when it comes to digital payments.

Aadhaar enabled fingerprint payments are more sophisticated than Apple Pay and Samsung Pay as it rules out the need of internet. Fintech experts are cautious about the security concerns in Aadhaar Pay but ‘When there is will, there is a way’.

Digital India – Internet for everyone.

Last year, Kerala became the first state in India to declare internet as basic necessity. Internet is key for last mile delivery of government services in future. Bharat Net, a massive fibre optic cable laying initiative in all village panchayat across India will complete 2 lakh kilometres by the end of FY2017-18. Nearly 500 railway stations in India will enjoy high speed internet services.

The launch of SWAYAM online platform with over 1500 courses and its tie up with DTH channels is a welcome move to take quality education to the masses. The launch along-side Bharat Net will enable students across India to learn new skills and yield institute approved certificates. The IITs and IIMs of this country will now go online, certainly a great initiative for avid learners of India.

Basic healthcare information on a smart Aadhar Card will be the first step as unique health identifier for the country. This will be critical in identifying beneficiaries for social healthcare insurance programs. E-health through Aadhar would substantially save patient’s time during emergencies.

The way we travel

A great start to a great year. Gurgaon Rapid Metro has commenced operations for its 6.6 km phase II. Kochi Metro (25.1 km), Delhi Metro Magenta Line (38 km) and Lucknow Metro (8.4 km) will commence operations in FY2017-18. Construction of all 9 additional lines ie. Line 2 to Line 10 (approx. 160 km) of Mumbai Metro project will begin after monsoons. The metro rail policy will be introduced with the focus on innovative models of implementation, financing, standardisation and indigenization of metro related hardware and software.

India’s semi-speed initiative, the Tejas express is likely to run between Mumbai – Goa, Mumbai – Surat and Delhi – Amritsar in FY2017-18. Indian Railways plan to redevelop 400 railway stations before 2025. Bids for more than 25 stations will be placed by the end of the year. Indian Railways may become the first railway in the world to run solar enabled trains.

Mumbai becomes the first city in India to implement electric buses on a large scale. BEST will run 25 electric hybrid buses made by Tata Motors on BKC route. 2017 will be the founding year for green mobility in India. Governments plans to implement green mobility projects worth Rs. 70,000 crores in upcoming years. This includes 2,000 kms of Bus Rapid Transport Corridors, hybrid buses, cycle & walk tracks, public cycle sharing schemes and intelligent transport solutions.

In bid to revive regional connectivity via air, Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik (UDAN) scheme will connect to more than 75 small cities under Rs. 2,500. In Phase 1, 43 airports and 5 carriers were selected. It is the largest ever attempt for regional connectivity in the world. The move may attract airline manufacturers to set up plants in India.

Cheers for New India

The world’s fastest growing economy is changing rapidly with the innovative use of technology. The urge to do better and transform the lives of masses fuels the energy for new India. Emerging economies like India are a support system for global economy in the times of slowdown. Cheers for cleaner, greener and better India.

- Chaitanya Kulkarni