Policy

Fintech Weekly Deep Dive — The End of Free UPI | Week of August 3–9, 2026 Executive Summary On August 6, 2026, the Lok Sabha passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which amends Section 10A of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 — the legal provision that has mandated zero Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI and RuPay debit card transactions since January 2020. The Bill does not impose fees immediately. Instead, it replaces the blanket prohibition with a framework that allows the Central Government to notify, by executive order alone, which electronic payment modes remain exempt from MDR charges. ...

India is replacing the 135-year-old Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 1891 with a digital-first law. Here’s what it does — and what consumers should watch out for.

Fintech Weekly Deep Dive — UPI’s Free Lunch Era Nears Its End | Week of July 20–26, 2026 Executive Summary India’s government is actively considering reintroducing a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI transactions for large merchants — the most consequential policy shift in digital payments since zero-MDR was mandated in January 2020. Under the proposal reported by the Economic Times on July 16, merchants with annual turnover of ₹1–1.5 crore would pay 5–7 basis points on UPI transactions exceeding ₹2,000. Person-to-person transfers and payments to small merchants would remain untouched. ...

Fintech Deep Dive — Friday | July 17, 2026 Theme: Policy & Regulation (RBI, SEBI, Compliance) This week has been a watershed for Indian fintech regulation. The RBI has issued or proposed no fewer than four major regulatory frameworks that will reshape how fintechs operate, how banks are governed, and how consumer fraud is addressed. Simultaneously, the DPDP Act compliance deadline is approaching, and the fintech sector is scrambling. Here’s a deep dive into the five most consequential policy developments of the week. ...

Fintech Deep Dive — Friday | June 19, 2026 Theme: Policy & Regulation This week has been one of the most consequential for Indian fintech regulation in 2026. The RBI dropped a regulatory triple-bomb on June 15 alone: a sweeping anti-mis-selling framework with an explicit dark-pattern ban, a consolidated payment system authorisation master direction introducing perpetual approvals, and an ongoing governance consolidation exercise. Combined with a landmark e-mandate framework issued in April that continues to reshape recurring payments, and a wave of IPO filings that signal maturing regulatory compliance in the sector, this week’s deep dive covers five major regulatory stories. ...

Fintech Weekly Deep Dive — India’s Capital Account Blitz | Week of June 1–7, 2026 Executive Summary In the most dramatic week for Indian macroeconomic policy since the 2013 taper-tantrum defence, the Reserve Bank of India and the Union government unveiled an unprecedented, multi-pronged assault on the crumbling rupee. Between June 3 and June 6, a coordinated barrage of measures landed: the government scrapped all capital gains and withholding taxes on foreign investment in government bonds via an ordinance, the RBI announced it would bear the full hedging cost on fresh FCNR(B) deposits, NRI equity investment limits were doubled, the Fully Accessible Route for government securities was expanded to include ultra-long bonds, export realisation timelines were restored, and the central bank continued its aggressive dollar-selling interventions that have consumed an estimated $12 billion in gold reserves over two weeks. ...