Paytm issued a statement saying that no probe has been launched against the firm or its founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma amid the RBI crackdown.

Fintech company Paytm on Monday dismissed the reports of the Enforcement Directorate investigating the firm or its founder for money laundering or FEMA violations as “misleading, baseless and malicious”.

Paytm said that the financial crime-fighting agency has not launched any probe against the parent brand One97 Communications or founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma, amid allegations of money laundering.

This comes after the Reserve Bank of India issued a deadline to Paytm Payments Bank for halting its transactions after February 29.

Paytm said in a statement, “We would like to reiterate that the company and its associate Paytm Payments Bank Limited are not the subject matter of any such investigation. Such media reports are entirely misleading, baseless, and malicious, which harm the interests of all our stakeholders.”

In its statement, Paytm clarified that the ED has not launched any investigation against One97 Communications, its associates or top management. It also refuted claims of all alleged FEMA violations.

“We have since seen additional media reports making baseless speculations about investigations of the company or its associate Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) for violation of foreign exchange rules,” it said, adding that Paytm will continue to post such clarifications as required.

The company said, “To address recent misinformation, factual inaccuracies, and speculation, One97 Communications Limited (OCL, Paytm, or Company) would like to set out the company’s position and directly address rumours in the recent misleading media reports about the company. This filing is done in the interest of transparency and protecting our reputation, customers, shareholders, and stakeholders from being influenced by unwarranted and speculative stories. We will continue to post such clarifications as required.”

RBI crackdown against Paytm Payments Bank

The Reserve Bank of India recently issued a deadline to Paytm Payments Bank, ordering the company to stop all deposits or transactions after February 29 due to alleged violations of KYC regulations, raising concerns about money laundering.

Further, the banking regulatory body is also considering cancelling the operating permit of Paytm Payments Bank as early as March 2024. RBI said that the Paytm bank failed to abide by the minimum KYC rules for its account holders, with thousands of accounts registered under faulty documents.

Paytm Payments Bank has also been accused of multiple transactions beyond regulatory limits, raising money-laundering concerns. However, Paytm has reiterated that it abides by all the RBI rules and parameters set by the Government of India.

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Paytm Crisis: This comes as the Reserve Bank of India launched a major clampdown on Paytm Payments Bank.

A group of Indian startup founders wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Reserve Bank of India on the recent sanctions against Paytm, urging them to engage in constructive dialogue with the Fintech ecosystem, Moneycontrol reported.

Who are the signatories of the letter?

The letter has been signed by at least a dozen founders, it added. These include- Murugavel Janakiraman of Bharat Matrimony, Deepak Shenoy of CapitalMind, Ritesh Malik of Innov8, Vishal Gondal of GOQii, Yashish Dahiya of PB Fintech and Rajesh Magow of MakeMyTrip- as per the report.

What does the letter say about RBI amid Paytm crisis?

As per the report, the letter read, “RBI’s current, seemingly punitive, regulations levied against Paytm Payments Bank could have far-reaching and detrimental consequences for the entire FinTech ecosystem. The recent directives also impact millions of users of Paytm Payments Bank and such harshness needs to be revaluated to safeguard the best interests of customers and merchants.”

The letter also claimed that the sanctions against Paytm Payments Bank can impact the country’s image as a business-friendly nation as “excessively stringent regulations targeting prominent fintech innovators like Paytm Payments Bank could create an impression of inconsistency and unpredictability, potentially deterring potential investors and innovators from entering the Indian market.”

The founders also pushed for a review of RBI’s regulatory directions as “reassessing the proportionality of restrictions considering their potential impact on Paytm Payments Bank, the Fintech ecosystem, and the broader economy. Provision of a reasonable timeframe for rectification: Granting Paytm Payments Bank a clear and practical window to address identified deficiencies and demonstrate compliance.”

What Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said?

This comes as the Reserve Bank of India launched a major clampdown on Paytm Payments Bank citing regulatory standards and compliance requirements.

Meanwhile, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma assured that there will be no layoffs.

“We are not completely sure of things…like what exactly went wrong. But we will figure out everything soon. We will reach out to the RBI to see what can be done,” the founder told employees.

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Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey has revealed that the manufacturing sector in India witnessed improvements in both employment and profits. 

According to the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the total number of employees in over 2.50 lakh factories decreased from 1.66 crore in 2019-20 to 1.60 crore in 2020-21.

 However, there was a recovery in employment in 2021-22, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The number of employees rose to 1.72 crore with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7%. Similarly, the number of workers increased to 1.36 crore with a CAGR growth of 2.1%. 

The survey also highlighted an increase in profits, with a growth rate of 42.3% from Rs 4.70 lakh crore in 2019-20 to Rs 9.51 lakh crore in 2021-22.

 The manufacturing sector’s resilience and turnaround story in the face of pandemic-induced challenges were evident in the survey results.

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India’s innovation journey is marked by remarkable progress intertwined with persistent challenges.

By Rameesh Kailasam and Jharna Kamdar

Innovation has often been an important aspect that distinguishes entities across the world. A business that keeps innovating survives and thrives. A country that inculcates innovation in its society doesn’t only keep the economy roaring but also empowers entrepreneurship and keeps its businesses growing. The developed block of countries and their businesses understood this advantage and continued their innovation journey by attracting the best global minds to their geographies. 

India, in the past few years, has started this journey, and the trajectory of becoming a $10 trillion economy and a developed nation hinges significantly on its transformation to a scientifically advanced country and a global leader in innovation. Government initiatives aimed at fostering creativity in education and incentivising careers in science underscore India’s steadfast commitment towards nurturing its innovation ecosystem. India’s ancient history is full of innovators and researchers who were constantly contributing to research and innovation that has withstood the test of time. 

This monumental corpus aims to catalyse private sector engagement in research and innovation across emerging sectors. Through long-term financing mechanisms and low or no interest rates, the government seeks to incentivise private enterprises to amplify their technological pursuits, particularly in burgeoning domains. 

India’s innovation journey is marked by remarkable progress intertwined with persistent challenges. Despite emerging as a global hub for research and development across diverse sectors such as aerospace, biotechnology, and computation, India’s public spending on research has remained relatively low at around 0.8% of GDP. This is in stark contrast with countries like China and the US, where investment in research and development far exceeds India’s. Strengthening infrastructure and enhancing the quality of education are imperative for fostering a sustainable innovation ecosystem. Moreover, bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and its commercialisation remains a significant challenge that demands attention. Innovative ideas must seamlessly translate into tangible products and services to drive real impact.

To unlock India’s innovation potential and address these challenges, concerted efforts are required to invigorate scientific endeavors and cultivate an environment conducive to innovation. Recent government initiatives such as the establishment of innovation centers and the promotion of entrepreneurship through programs like Startup India and Make in India underscore a renewed commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.

India is now home to a significant number of innovation centres and a burgeoning entrepreneurial landscape. The country has emerged as a beacon of innovation in Asia, attracting foreign investment and spearheading groundbreaking research initiatives. 

 India’s innovation agenda prioritises a steadfast commitment to leverage science and technology for economic growth and societal welfare. The last 10 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership have witnessed the prioritisation of science and technology as fundamental pillars of India’s development strategy with a target to increase research and development spending to over 2% of GDP. 

At the heart of India’s innovation narrative lies its flourishing startup ecosystem, propelled by the resilience and ingenuity of its entrepreneurs. The surge of technology startups, harnessing innovative solutions to address diverse market needs, underscores India’s prowess in digital innovation. With the rapid expansion of India’s digital consumer market fueled by the accessibility of affordable tech products, the nation witnesses the emergence of unicorns and a palpable surge in innovation capacity.

Various government endeavors like the Atal Innovation Mission (2016) exemplifies India’s dedication to nurturing a vibrant innovation sector. This initiative aims to foster innovation hubs, tackle grand challenges, and catalyse startup ventures in technology-driven domains. Additionally, the Atal Tinkering Labs initiative, nurturing innovative startups at schools and incubation centers, plays a pivotal role in instilling a culture of innovation from a young age.

The government’s call for startups and private sector firms to invest in burgeoning fields like AI, renewable energy, electric cars, defense, and semiconductor manufacturing underscores India’s determination to embrace the transformative potential of cutting-edge technologies. The advent of new technologies and data-driven solutions holds immense promise for India, particularly in democratising access to high-quality services and economic opportunities. Sitharaman’s assertion that these innovations can uplift even the most marginalised segments of society underscores the government’s commitment to inclusive growth and equitable development.

The government’s innovation stimulus holds immense promise for startups, offering a pathway towards sustainable growth, competitiveness, and global relevance. As India embarks on a journey towards becoming a powerhouse of innovation and entrepreneurship, startups stand to benefit from the unprecedented opportunities from such government’s initiatives, paving the way for a future defined by creativity, ingenuity, and technological excellence.

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The company aims to increase its passenger handling capacity three-fold to 240-250 million and intends to continue participating in the government’s airport privatization drive.

 Adani’s benchmarks for the demerger include reducing dependency on aeronautical revenues and increasing income from non-aeronautical sources, such as city-side projects. 

The group is currently developing an airport project in Navi Mumbai, which is expected to be completed by December this year.

 Adani Airports also controls airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Lucknow.

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The Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, stated in an interview that there is no current proposal with the Finance Ministry to revise duty structures in order to facilitate Tesla’s entry into the Indian market.

 Although the Commerce Ministry is working on a plan for this purpose, there have been no discussions with the Finance Ministry.

 Agarwal also explained that the recent cuts in customs duty on smartphone components were made to avoid disputes, not due to international pressure. 

In addition, Agarwal addressed issues such as the mis-invoicing of goods in India-China trade and the misuse of free trade agreements (FTAs).

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 According to the guidelines set by the RBI, the total amount of customer balances at the end of the day cannot be more than Rs 2 lakh. The exact number of deposits in Paytm Payments Bank has not been disclosed by either the bank itself or Paytm.

Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) is staring at an uncertain future with the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to bar fresh deposits and top-ups with effect from February 29, 2024 and One97 Communications – which runs Paytm services — stopping all businesses with PPBL. While the RBI has not hinted at the possibility of cancelling the license given to Paytm for the payments bank, banking sources don’t rule out the cancellation of the license once the February deadline is over.

Sources in the know said the payments bank is likely to witness a decline in deposits and business following the RBI curbs and the regulator has made serious charges against PPBL which could lead to cancellation of the license

When contacted, the RBI did not comment on the PPBL issue.

As per the RBI’s licensing and operative guidelines for payments bank, aggregate customer balance limit for PPBL customer at the end of the day cannot exceed Rs 2 lakh. Neither PPBL or Paytm has disclosed the deposit base of PPBL. A mail sent to One97 Communications Ltd did not elicit any response.

The Comprehensive System Audit report and subsequent compliance validation report of the external auditors revealed persistent non-compliances and continued material supervisory concerns in the bank, warranting further supervisory action, the RBI said last week. “This has happened at a time when several banking veterans were on the board of PPBL. They should have ensured compliance of RBI norms… but KYC issues and data sharing issues remained for the last several years,” sources said.

AK Jain, former executive director of Punjab and Sind Bank, Manju Agarwal, former Deputy managing director of State Bank of India, Shinjini Kumar, former Citibank and Bank of America official, Srinivas Yanamandra, former compliance official with New Development Bank and ICICI Bank, were on the PPBL board.

In October 2023, the RBI had slapped a fine of Rs 5.39 crore on Paytm Payments Bank due to deficiencies in regulatory compliances. Paytm failed to identify beneficial owner in respect of entities onboarded by it for providing payout services, did not monitor payout transactions and carry out risk profiling of entities availing payout services, breached the regulatory ceiling of end-of-the-day balance in certain customer advance accounts, and even delayed reporting a cyber security incident. One97 Communications owns 49 per cent in PPBL and Paytm founder and Chairman Vijay Shekhar Sharma has 51 per cent stake.

As per the RBI directive, customers will not be able to make deposits or add money to your Paytm Payments Bank savings, current account, debit card, NCMC, transit and FASTag after February 29, 2024. However, there is no restriction on withdrawal of money from the existing balance even after February 29, 2024. “The directive does not impact your existing balances in account or wallet and your money is safe with your bank,” PPBL said. On the other hand, parent Paytm said the disruption of business will continue for a few weeks. There are some operational changes, which will take it a week or two to do before we can kick-start the new business back again, it said. And then the existing business is just about making sure that the people who had set up their mandates from PPBL bank account are able to switch to another bank account, which work has already started.

“I think the disruption will be there for a couple of weeks. And to that extent, we will have an EBITDA impact in our lending business. I don’t want to shy from saying that. But we are very hopeful that, let’s say, by early March, we should be back to full normalcy, if not earlier,” Paytm President and COO Bhavesh Gupta said in a conference call.

Paytm denied there was no data that Paytm was taking and getting from Paytm Payments Bank in the past or in the present. “For any moment in time, a customer who is a customer using wallet or UPI handle of Paytm Payments Bank, the data resides with Paytm Payments Bank, and there was absolutely no information which is available. All the models, be for growth for our insurance business or our lending distribution business or any other thing that we used to do on the Paytm app was were built on insights that are available on the Paytm app or data, which regulatorily and legally Paytm is able to consume and have it in the system,” Paytm said.

On the Chinese wall between Paytm and PPBL, Sharma said at the conference call last week, “That’s exactly what we solved in the last two years, and we believe that we not only became arm’s length, we became farm’s length, meaning we’d rather have a much stronger gap of no data sharing, no data knowledge, with Paytm Bank actually.” However, Sharma remains the Chairman of both OCL and PPBL, enabling him to attend board meetings.

Gupta said the part of migration has three legs. “One leg is that you should have a partner bank interested to own up even the UPI acquiring and wallet acquiring. We have enough and more partner banks, who are interested in integrating with Paytm. So that is sorted out. The second part is, is the commercial in that transaction, similar, better or lower than what we kept today. I can assure you that the commercial is in the similar range that we get from PPBL in some cases better, in some cases a bit lower, but on an average, in a similar range,” he said.

“Now is the third part. One is that you do account to account migration, which is a bit time consuming and you rightly pointed out that the time is short. Other is to do a one-time migration. We have obviously started discussions with the relevant authorities, both in RBI and NPCI, who are helping us extremely well to see to it that how this migration can happen,” Paytm said.

One97 Communications, in a filing to exchanges on Sunday, denied any involvement in anti-money laundering activities.

“Neither the Company nor its founder and CEO are being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate regarding inter alia money laundering. We have and continue to abide by Indian laws and take regulatory orders with utmost seriousness,” the company said.

Many experts feel that the Paytm issue will have an impact on the valuation of all the fintech players.

“Just as holding companies see Holdco discounts in their valuations, we are going to see fintech discounts for some time. Thanks to Paytm, the trust issues around fintech will need more confidence building by the fintechs. They have now become collateral damage to non-compliance of a large fintech player,” said Srinath Sridharan, who is an author, policy researcher & corporate advisor.

PPBL has 3 crore bank accounts

MUMBAI: Paytm Payment Bank has over 30 crore wallets and 3 crore bank accounts, as per the information on the bank’s website. It has over 10 crore KYC customers, with 4 lakh users added every passing month. The bank is the largest issuer of FASTag with over 80 lakh FASTag units issued.

A payment bank can raise deposit up to Rs two lakh but it can’t issue loans or credit cards.

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