RBI eyes BNPL norms, to rope in fintechs amid issues over playing cards by non-bank PPI issuers to increase short-term loans

After slapping curbs on non-bank purchase now pay later (BNPL) firms, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is more likely to come out with pointers for the BNPL phase which was utilizing pre-paid devices (PPIs) to increase short-term, interest-free loans to clients for on-line purchases.

“This novel method shall be examined, and issuance of appropriate guidelines on payments involving BNPL shall be explored,” the central financial institution stated in its Payments Vision 2025 doc. The RBI had final week communicated to non-bank PPI issuers — or BNPL firms — to cease issuing playing cards the place the funds are loaded via a credit score line from NBFCs, sending jitters within the phase.

According to banking observers, the Reserve Bank will not be proud of fintech firms utilizing PPIs as a credit score instrument, circumventing the regulatory oversight. The banking regulator is in dialogue with fintech gamers to discover a means out and convey the phase beneath a regulatory framework in order that PPIs are used as a cost instrument and never as a credit score avenue.

While BNPL providers have developed into a brand new cost mode alongside the present cost modes like playing cards, UPI and web banking, it has remained outdoors the direct RBI regulation. This channel, facilitated by just a few cost aggregators, leverages the present nodal account (escrow account after authorisation) to route funds between a BNPL buyer and a service provider. “We welcome RBI’s move on barring wallet and PPIs top up from the credit lines. This will bring more transparency in the fintech lending space. We believe the main purpose of a PPI licence is to act as a payment instrument and not as a credit instrument,” stated Nipun Jain, CEO, RapiPay Fintech Ltd.

The newest regulation might be coming from latest developments whereby newer enterprise fashions of credit-based cost merchandise had been constructed by firms utilizing PPI as a automobile, analysts stated. The RBI has raised issues on funding of those PPI devices via a credit score line from an NBFC, Kotak Securities stated in a report.

ExplainedHow does a BNPL firm function?

A buyer who holds a BNPL card or account could make a purchase order at a collaborating retailer and go for the ‘Buy now, pay later’ possibility. After the acquisition, the client can repay the BNPL agency in a sequence of interest-free EMIs – not like bank cards which carry a excessive rate of interest of 42 per cent — unfold over 3 months or as a lumpsum quantity. If it stays unpaid, curiosity might be charged. The BNPL firm can pay the service provider instantly. However, for a purchase order of Rs 500, as an alternative of settling the total Rs 500, they’d pay one thing like Rs 470 or Rs 450 and pocket the distinction. The service provider agrees to offer a reduction to the BNPL agency.

The RBI’s working group on digital lending had lately proposed limiting steadiness sheet lending by digital lending apps (DLAs) solely to regulated entities of the central financial institution or entities registered beneath every other legislation for particularly endeavor lending enterprise, enacting a separate laws to forestall unlawful digital lending actions and treating BNPL as a part of steadiness sheet lending, and prohibition on unregulated entities from providing first loss default assure (FLDG).

Another main issue that worries the RBI might be the excessive delinquency ranges within the BNPL phase. In the case of 60 days overdue (DPD) credit score, delinquencies within the BNPL phase are 18.9 per cent whereas non-BNPL present 10.1 per cent delinquencies, based on TransUnion Cibil information.

BNPL is India’s fastest-growing on-line cost methodology with a major affect on banks, massive retailers and card schemes. Due to its hassle-free on-boarding expertise, extension of credit score facility, low-cost construction for the client and facilitating straightforward repayments, BNPL is rising widespread amongst younger revenue earners.

Some of the favored BNPL firms are LazyPay, Simpl, ZestMoney, Amazon Pay Later, Ola Money Postpaid, Paytm Postpaid, Flexmoney, Slice, UNI and EPayLater.

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“Regulatory clarity for big tech and fintechs as well as BNPL will really help entities plan long term and invest even more in fintech in India,” stated Avinash Godkhindi, MD and CEO, Zaggle.

The RBI ban on credit score strains from NBFCs is more likely to hit fintech firms within the BNPL phase. BNPL firms are energetic on Zomato, Swiggy and different e-commerce websites.

For clients across the globe, e-commerce cost preferences proceed to shift away from money and bank cards in the direction of digital wallets and BNPL. In its report ‘Digital Payments in India: A US$10 Trillion Opportunity’, BCG stated the digital cost market In India might be $10 trillion within the subsequent 5 years (by 2026), with non-cash contributions comprising 65 per cent of all funds and two out of three transactions might be digital within the subsequent 5 years.