Tag: Praveena Rai

  • NPCI & SBI Payments partner to launch RuPay SoftPoS

    NPCI & SBI Payments partner to launch RuPay SoftPoS

    NEW DELHI: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has partnered with SBI Payments to announce the launch of RuPay SoftPoS for millions of Indian merchants. This innovative solution has the capability to transform NFC enabled smartphones into merchant point of sale (PoS) terminals for the retailers. Merchants will now be able to accept contactless payments of up to Rs 5,000 through a simple tap and pay mechanism on their smartphones.

    RuPay SoftPoS will provide cost effective acceptance infrastructure to retailers at nominal cost. This unique phenomenon would be able to proliferate digital payment acceptance among millions of underserved Indian MSMEs. Merchants can convert their existing android smartphone devices into a payment terminal by simply downloading a supported app. This solution will revolutionise the way micro and small merchants receive payments and create a demarcated shift in their tendency to deal in cash to accepting secure, contactless digital payments instead.

    The RuPay SoftPoS is convenient and creates a superior transaction experience. Once the contactless menu is chosen, an appropriate amount is entered (< Rs 5000). The RuPay card can then be tapped on the merchant’s mobile making these transactions instantaneously. As soon as the transaction is approved, the receipt of successful transaction is generated real time. This facility can be used on NCMC cards and RuPay tokenised card on mobile/ wearable to make payments in a secure and time efficient manner. The RuPay SoftPoS solution benefits the merchants and customers alike – it creates a smart and user-friendly acceptance infrastructure for merchants; whereas encourages the customers to make secure, contactless payments.

    Giri Kumar Nair, MD & CEO SBI Payments said, “SBI Payments is working closely with NPCI to support the government’s Digital India initiative enabling small and medium merchants in semi urban and rural centres. We are also enabling NCMC cards on our terminals to improve consumer experience and the RBI announcement allowing up to Rs 5000 transaction through tap and go facility has further enhanced our ability to reach out to a wider number of merchant categories. There is also a special focus on north-eastern states onboarding merchants on asset light model enabling QR and tap on phone form factors.

    NPCI COO Praveena Rai said, “We are delighted to partner with SBI to launch the RuPay SoftPoS solution aimed at creating an innovative payment solution for Indian MSMEs which forms the backbone of our economy. It is our endeavour to ensure that merchants from various geographies of the nation are onboarded into the ecosystem in order to deepen the penetration of digital acceptance infrastructure in the country. It is our belief that this is a step in the right direction of financial inclusivity as RuPay SoftPoS can provide an impetus to the digital on-boarding of merchants across the length and breadth of the country."

  • NPCI launches UPI awareness campaign in association with payment ecosystem players

    NPCI launches UPI awareness campaign in association with payment ecosystem players

    MUMBAI: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in association with the payment ecosystem players have co-created an industry campaign “UPI Chalega” to promote UPI as easy, safe, and instant mode of payment. The campaign is aimed to guide users towards the right usage of UPI and help create a habitual change, use of UPI in their daily life. The campaign also focuses on safety aspects while transacting on UPI enabled apps.

    The campaign targets the Indian smartphone users to guide them on the ease of using UPI through various use cases where UPI can be used instead of cash or any other payment mode. The campaign targets users across all ages and aims to promote how to safely use UPI. UPI Chalega campaign educates customers about using UPI for their daily expenses such as at the vegetable shop, petrol pumps, restaurants, e-commerce, bill payment, etc.

    Campaign’s creative agency Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) has created a relatable character, Mrs Rao, who is the mouthpiece of the brand UPI. Whenever there is a cash crisis at hand, Mrs Rao appears as the voice of reason, and introduces UPI transactions as the simple solution to the problem. In the six TVCs, the story is satirically narrated by Mrs Rao who gently reprimands the viewers for their faith in the old ways of buying things and splitting bills. The ad films end on an instructive note, ‘Batwe ke jagah mobile nikalo; len den ki nai aadat dalo’.

    The 360-degree campaign uses various media channels like television, cinema, outdoor, digital and radio to drive the traffic to UPIChalega.com microsite. This microsite has TVCs, ‘how to’ videos about using UPI safely, information about live banks and third party Apps as well as social feeds among other information. From Registration process, what’s a UPI id, pin change, complaint redressal, sending money, PIN secrecy to the uniform UPI payment page that users should always remember, the campaign covers everything in the how to videos in UPIChalega.com microsite.

    NPCI COO Praveena Rai said, “We are excited to announce the launch of “UPI Chalega” campaign. We believe this campaign has extreme potential to educate users, exponentially accelerate the adoption rate of digital payments and support our vision of a less-cash payments economy. We are happy to associate with our member banks, payment service providers and third party Apps and design this fun-filled and educational UPI awareness campaign. We hope the highlight of our campaign, Mrs. Rao, would motivate customers to shift to easy and safe UPI payments and restrict the usage of cash.”

    SBI DMD strategy and chief digital officer Swaminathan J said, “SBI as a founding member of NPCI is happy to be a part of FLAC (Financial Literacy & Awareness Campaign) committee to create awareness and increase the adoption of UPI. Over the years, endeavor of SBI has been to promote safe and convenient digital payment methods including UPI among its customers. It is important for the payment eco-system to constantly educate and inform customers about UPI as the simple, instant and one of the most secure modes of payment methods in the country.”

    FLAC (Financial Literacy and Awareness Campaign) Committee chairman and Kotak Mahindra Group CMO Karthi Marshan said, “This is possibly the first time that banking, payments and fintech players are coming together with NPCI to promote safe usage of UPI via a massive multi-media campaign that aims to provoke interest as well as educate in an engaging manner. It’s been a privilege for me to work with my peers and NPCI in championing this truly important agenda, of leading India to a less cash, more digital economy. Digital money is the simplest alternative to carrying cash. And it’s safer. But most consumers aren’t aware of that. They still rely on cash for most of their transactions. We wanted to come up with a simple creative solution that encourages behaviour change. Our message – UPI chalega – is a short and effective trigger.”