Paytm shifts offline merchant business to subsidiary post-RBI’s PA license
In a significant development, Paytm parent One 97 Communications has announced the transfer of its offline merchants’ payment business to its wholly-owned subsidiary, Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL). This move comes after PPSL received the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) license to operate as a Payment Aggregator (PA). The approval from RBI is a major milestone for Paytm, as it will enable the company to resume the onboarding of new merchants, a process that had been under an RBI freeze since November 2022.
The transfer of the offline merchant business to PPSL is a strategic decision by Paytm to comply with the RBI’s guidelines for payment aggregators. As a payment aggregator, PPSL will be responsible for facilitating transactions between merchants and customers, and will be required to adhere to the RBI’s regulations and guidelines for the industry. The RBI’s guidelines for payment aggregators are designed to ensure that payment aggregators operate in a safe and secure manner, and that they comply with the regulator’s requirements for know-your-customer (KYC) norms, anti-money laundering (AML) rules, and other regulatory requirements.
The RBI’s license to PPSL is a significant development for Paytm, as it will enable the company to expand its offline merchant business and increase its market share in the payments industry. Paytm has been a pioneer in the digital payments space in India, and has been at the forefront of the country’s digital payments revolution. The company has been steadily expanding its services to include a range of payment options, including online payments, offline payments, and banking services.
The transfer of the offline merchant business to PPSL is also expected to have a positive impact on Paytm’s financials. As a payment aggregator, PPSL will be required to pay a fee to the RBI for every transaction that it facilitates. This fee will be a significant source of revenue for Paytm, and will help the company to increase its profitability. Additionally, the approval from RBI will also enable Paytm to expand its services to include new payment options, such as credit cards and other payment instruments.
The RBI’s freeze on the onboarding of new merchants had been a major setback for Paytm, as it had limited the company’s ability to expand its offline merchant business. However, with the approval of PPSL as a payment aggregator, Paytm will be able to resume the onboarding of new merchants, and will be able to expand its services to include a range of new payment options. This is expected to have a positive impact on Paytm’s growth prospects, and will help the company to increase its market share in the payments industry.
The development is also expected to have a positive impact on the overall digital payments industry in India. The RBI’s guidelines for payment aggregators are designed to ensure that payment aggregators operate in a safe and secure manner, and that they comply with the regulator’s requirements for KYC norms, AML rules, and other regulatory requirements. The approval of PPSL as a payment aggregator is a significant milestone for the industry, as it will help to increase trust and confidence in digital payments, and will encourage more people to use digital payment options.
In conclusion, the transfer of Paytm’s offline merchant business to PPSL is a significant development for the company, and is expected to have a positive impact on its growth prospects and financials. The approval from RBI is a major milestone for Paytm, as it will enable the company to resume the onboarding of new merchants, and will help the company to increase its market share in the payments industry. The development is also expected to have a positive impact on the overall digital payments industry in India, as it will help to increase trust and confidence in digital payments, and will encourage more people to use digital payment options.