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IRCTC looks to expand fintech footprint with new payment aggregator subsidiary

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
IRCTC looks to expand fintech footprint with new payment aggregator subsidiary
Medial

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has incorporated a new subsidiary which focuses on payment aggregator business, according to the company’s disclosure with the stock exchange. The disclosure comes months after the company initiated the process to acquire a payment aggregator license with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). IRCTC had then also launched an in-house payment gateway, called iPay. The gateway brings an additional layer to the payment process allowing users to book tickets through autopay, debit card, credit card, and net banking, among others. “On the iPay platform, [the] number of payment transactions handled during this quarter is 1.54 crores. It has increased by 12.94% over the previous quarter and by 36% increase over the previous year. Payment aggregator license is in the process of getting this license from RBI, and as recommended by RBI, we are in the process of forming a subsidiary for this iPay license,” IRCTC managing director and chairman Seema Kumar had said in August 2023 during an earnings call. The payment aggregator business is likely to allow the railway ticketing platform to further expand its fintech capabilities with deeper synergy with partner merchants, and most likely diversify services and products on its platform. In case you did not know, the RBI had introduced a new licensing regime for payment gateways in 2020. The move was aimed at better compliance and regulations in the fintech industry. “PAs are entities that facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants to accept various payment instruments from the customers for completion of their payment obligations without the need for merchants to create a separate payment integration system of their own. PAs facilitate merchants to connect with acquirers. In the process, they receive payments from customers, pool and transfer them on to the merchants after a time period,” the RBI explained in its original notification. Since then, quite a few companies have received the PA license. This includes fintech firms like Razorpay, Cashfree, and Decentro.

Related News

Ahead of IPO, PayU receives final Payment Aggregator license

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Ahead of IPO, PayU receives final Payment Aggregator license
Medial

Ahead of IPO, PayU receives final Payment Aggregator license PayU has received final authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online Payment Aggregator. This allows the fintech firm to onboard new merchants onto its platform. In April 2024, PayU received in-principle approval from the RBI to operate as a payment aggregator. “As we move forward, we remain dedicated to building a resilient, compliant, inclusive, and innovation-driven institution—one that serves merchants of all sizes and contributes meaningfully to the Digital India vision of the RBI and the Government,” said a PayU spokesperson. The development comes at a time when PayU is planning for its IPO, eyeing a public listing during the second half of 2025. The company also appointed Pramod Rao as its Chief Risk Officer, who will oversee risk management, regulatory compliance, and strengthen the organization’s financial and operational risk framework. PayU has acquired a 43.5% stake in real-time payments technology firm Mindgate Solutions, enhancing its footprint in India’s real-time payments space and leveraging Mindgate’s expertise to drive digital payment innovation globally. Several other startups have secured authorization from the RBI as payment aggregators. MobiKwik’s subsidiary Zaakpay and PB Fintech’s subsidiary PB Pay received in-principle approval, and BharatPe’s Resilient Payments was granted final approval. Earlier this year, cross-border payments company Skydo received in-principle authorization from the RBI to operate as a Payment Aggregator-Cross Border (PA-CB) entity.

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