Tag: digital banking services

ICICI Bank launches Merchant Stack, offering curated digital banking services to retail merchants, BFSI News, ET BFSI

Banking & Finance

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ICICI Bank announced the launch of its ‘Merchant Stack’, a set of digital banking services specially curated for retail merchants. Merchants —- grocers, supermarkets, large retail store chains, online businesses and large e-commerce firms can meet their banking requirements seamlessly so that they can continue to serve their consumers during the pandemic’s difficult times. This initiative is in line with the Bank’s ‘Business with Care’ principle. Retail merchants can avail these contactless services without visiting the Bank’s branches. They can use these services right away via InstaBIZ, the Bank’s mobile banking application for businesses.

Merchant Stack offers a variety of banking solutions and value-added services at one single place curated for the retailer eco-system. The stack’s key pillars are 1) a new account called “Super Merchant Current Account”; and 2) two instant credit facilities called “Merchant Overdraft” and “Express Credit,” both of which are focused on POS transactions and are industry firsts.) ‘Digital Store Management’ facility to help merchants take their business online; 4) exclusive loyalty rewards programme, an industry first feature; 5) value added services like alliances with major e-commerce and digital marketing platforms for expansion of online presence.

Anup Bagchi, ICICI Bank, on the launch, said, “There are over 2 crore merchants in the country with approximately USD 780 billion in value of transactions in 2020. They are expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. During these difficult times of the pandemic, it is our endeavour to enable the merchants banking platform that will help them to continue serve their customers. We have thus launched the ‘Merchant Stack’, which most importantly offers a range of ‘contactless’ banking services, providing safety to the merchants and their customers alike. It is also a continuation of ICICI Stack, which we introduced a year ago to provide all digital banking services to retail customers on a single platform.”

Furthermore, the Bank offers ‘Express Credit,’ which allows for immediate settlement of POS transactions. It provides greater convenience because retailers can immediately access funds, as compared to the industry practice of waiting a few days for credit for transactions made at POS machines.



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IBA may seek clarity on whether banks can be part of both NPCI, NUE

Banking & Finance

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The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) may seek regulatory clarity on whether banks already holding stake in the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) can be part of a consortia for setting up a New Umbrella Entity (NUE) for retail payment systems.

Though NPCI, India’s only umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems, is a ‘not for profit’ company under Section 8 of Companies Act 2013 and NUE will in all probability, be a ‘for-profit’ company, banks want to be sure that the regulator has no objection to them holding stake in two organisations in the same line of business.

Also read: Umbrella entity for retail payments: Race for licence gathers momentum

One school of thought is against ‘for profit’ entities getting into the umbrella retail payment and settlement space due to concerns that the consumer may end up paying more than what he is currently paying for availing digital banking services.

However, another school of thought is of the view that digital banking services could improve further just like it happened after private players entered the telecom sector.

NPCI has 10 banks as shareholders with more than 5 per cent stake. Bank of Baroda is the single largest shareholder with 9.592 per cent stake (this includes the shareholding of erstwhile Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank).

State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, HSBC, and Citibank have 7.47 per cent stake each in NPCI.

These 10 banks collectively held 76.822 per cent stake in NPCI as at March-end 2020.

Proposals in the works

Significantly, several of these banks are working out proposals and plan to apply to the RBI for an NUE license.

State Bank of India is a key player that is planning to apply for a license. Sources said the idea is to take forward its mobile banking YONO app to the next level of payments. This could possibly be in a consortium with Bank of Baroda.

Meanwhile, HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are set to work in a consortium with Tata Sons and Mastercard to apply for a NUE license. ICICI Bank and Axis Bank are also working with Amazon and readying plans.

Also read: New umbrella entity for retail payments: RBI extends timeline to make application up to March 31

Another consortium led by Jio Platforms, a majority-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, is also in the race to set up a NUE.

According to industry watchers, at least half a dozen consortia are expected to apply and about three licenses may be given out.

“But applications are still in the process of being finalised. It is unlikely that any license will be issued until the end of the year or early 2022,” noted a person following the developments.

Many players believe that setting up more such entities will help further leverage digital payments and increase their penetration and it would not be fair to compare them with NPCI, which has spearheaded the payments transformation.

The deadline for filing applications with the RBI is March 31.

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