NPCI Revives BHIM with Rival Apps' Money Access
Source: the-ken.com
- NPCI is reviving its own UPI payments app called BHIM after past failures.
- The app will integrate a new feature allowing users to link and pay via third-party apps like PhonePe and Google Pay without switching.
- This could challenge dominant private players by boosting BHIM's usage and government control over digital payments.
NPCI, the body running India's UPI network, is pushing to resurrect BHIM, its government-backed payments app, with a fresh strategy. The key move is adding interoperability so BHIM users can pay using balances from private apps like PhonePe and Paytm. This aims to fix BHIM's low adoption since its 2016 launch, while taking on giants that control most UPI volume. It matters because it could shift power from private firms to the government in India's fast-growing digital payments space.