Page 2 - Ajinkya Kawale

AI slashes cost of launching cyberattack to under $3, says Mastercard

Technology, public and financial sectors account for 44 per cent of cyberattacks in India, while firms are strengthening governance as AI agents pose new risks

75% traders may not face UPI levy, says NPCI MD & CEO Dilip Asbe

18% GST on merchant discount rate could be reviewed

Visa's Pismo platform expands footprint in 'priority market' India

The core banking and card processing platform is exploring credit line on UPI and other use cases as India becomes one of its priority markets for FY27

MDR on UPI payments: What customers, merchants need to know from Oct 15

From October 15, MDR will apply to certain UPI payments above ₹2,000 made to large merchants, while customers and eligible small vendors will continue to pay no fee

Fintechs race to expand merchant networks as MDR returns to UPI payments

PhonePe, Paytm, Pine Labs and MobiKwik are stepping up merchant acquisition and device deployment as UPI MDR returns and NPCI plans a Rs 3,000-crore fund

Trade bodies call for 'No UPI Day' on October 2 to protest MDR levy

Business associations plan a No UPI Day on October 2 to protest the 0.4 per cent merchant discount rate set to apply to UPI merchant payments above Rs 2,000 from October 15

10 mn users & counting, Amazon Pay Later lines up a broader credit play

Amazon Pay India CEO Vikas Bansal says the company will focus on expanding its smart wallet and digital credit offerings for consumers and small businesses.

Binance invests $100 mn in Circle, expands partnership to promote USDC

The five-year partnership will see Binance promote USDC across its global platform, particularly in emerging markets, while Circle provides infrastructure services

PhonePe secures UAE payments licences, plans Aani, Jaywan support

The fintech major has received in-principle approval for two UAE payments licences and plans to support domestic payment rails Aani and Jaywan ahead of its commercial launch

MDR reset: Flat ₹5 UPI fee on the table for capital-market transactions

Proposal needs Sebi representation, followed by RBI, govt nod

In the age of UPI, cash still going strong as circulation growth picks up

Cash in circulation rises 12.5% as UPI grows, raising concerns that MDR could slow the shift to digital payments

New MDR norms put netbanking back in play for Indian stockbrokers

UPI carries 0.02% MDR, capped at ₹300, while netbanking costs ₹8-12, negotiated between banks and payment service providers

MDR on UPI payments likely to unlock ₹15K-21K crore revenue pool

Brokerages expect banks to receive the largest share of the levy, while Paytm, Pine Labs and other fintechs could gain from higher transaction-linked revenue annually

Apps oppose platform fee ban on UPI bill payments under new MDR norms

UPI apps say their Rs 1 share from a Rs 5 MDR on larger bill payments will not cover Bharat Bill Payment System commissions, while smaller transactions earn nothing at all

MDR on UPI payments face 18% GST; registered biz can claim input tax credit

Experts say GST will raise the upfront cost of accepting eligible UPI payments, but registered businesses can offset the tax through input tax credit, subject to applicable rules.

0.4% MDR kicks in from October 15 for ₹2,000-plus UPI payments

Sources stress MDR is not a tax on UPI, since the fee is distributed among participants in the payments chain rather than accruing to the government

Businesses divided on UPI MDR; retailers wary, quick commerce unfazed

Distributors flag concerns over the new UPI merchant charges, while quick-commerce firms expect limited impact as most transactions remain below the Rs 2,000 threshold

No concentration risk, UPI is interoperable: PhonePe cofounder Rahul Chari

Rahul Chari, cofounder and chief technology officer, outlines his plans for the next decade and addresses concerns around concentration risk

UPI's AI protocol temporarily on hold as NPCI builds safeguards

The focus is on user protection, mapping actual risks from potential liabilities when agents go rogue, and governance standards around evolving technologies like these

UPI gets new features: Tap-to-pay, unified window for transaction details

New UPI features enable tap-to-pay at PoS terminals and a unified transaction view, while Bharat Connect adds multicurrency capabilities for forex transactions