RuPay: Desi at Heart, Global in Reach
“Binge the Boulettes!”
You might be wondering why we’re talking about food in a payment blog. Well, hold that delicious thought for a moment!
Not only you can Binge the Boulettes, but You can also immortalize the iconic Dodo on mugs, t-shirts, or any other medium you like.
Well!
You might have given a thought about what we are talking about, the “Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.”, Mauritius.
But sorry pal!
This ain’t about Mauritius, it’s about the Payment instrument that made payments easy for all Indians across the globe!
It’s none other than our very own “RuPay”.
Let’s take the plunge!
The Birth and Growth
RuPay stands as India’s indigenous card payment network with extensive acceptance across ATMs, POS terminals, and online marketplaces throughout the nation.
This homegrown solution arose to confront the challenges inherent in a predominantly cash-based economy. The complexities associated with cash transactions burdened customers, vendors, and financial institutions alike. Moreover, reliance on international card providers raised apprehensions surrounding control and data security.
In recognition of these issues, RuPay was introduced in 2012 under the aegis of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, spearheaded by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Designed as a domestic alternative, RuPay offers a cost-effective card network solution, aligning with the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) ambition to cultivate a ‘less cash’ economy.
Voila!
Unearthed the RuPay’s backstory! Now, buckle up for its crew!
Steering Group and Live Members
Steering Group — [Responsible for guiding and overseeing the direction and execution]
Presently,
· 9 Public Sector Banks
· 6 Private Sector Banks
· 2 Regulated Non-Banks
· 2 External Industry Expert
· 1 Payments Bank
· 1 Small Finance Bank
· 1 RRB and Coop. Bank (Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks)
· 1 Industry Body
· 1 Guest Invitee
A total of 24 members are guiding and overseeing the direction and execution of RuPay.
Live Members
Presently, 1254 Banks are live with NPCI for RuPay services.
Woohoo!
High-fived the RuPay team. Let’s unveil the cast!
The Cast
- Issuing banks provide RuPay cards,
- While Acquiring banks enables merchants (physical and online) to accept them.
- Government bodies utilize RuPay for their specific programs, and
- Corporates leverage it for services and employee benefits.
- Finally, Cardholders use RuPay cards for purchases, cash withdrawals, and various financial activities.
Ohoo!
Mingled with the crew, let us spill the tea on the Transaction Palette!
The Transaction Palette
For Cardholders,
Payments:
- Purchase: You can use RuPay card for purchases in retail stores and online merchants across India and some parts of the globe.
Cash Access:
- Cash Withdrawal: You can withdraw cash from any ATM in India, and withdrawals subject to the bank’s limits.
Transaction Management:
- Reversal: You can dispute unauthorized or incorrect transactions within a specific timeframe (set by your bank) for reversal.
NCMC Card:
- Money Add: You can add money to your RuPay NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) card by yourself or through the issuing authority, for various transactions.
Balance Information:
- Balance Update: You can get automatic balance updates after each transaction to track your spending.
- Balance Enquiry: You can check your remaining debit, prepaid, or credit balance through a dedicated transaction.
For merchant,
- Merchants can void transactions (cancel them) before completion, typically for incorrect amounts or cardholder changes of mind. No charges or fees apply in these cases.
Hooray!
Let us know about its benefits!
Ahem!
You’ve had your fill of RuPay trivia, but now it’s time to zoom out and see the grand tapestry!
Global Landscape
Presently, RuPay is live in 5 countries:
· Bhutan
· Nepal
· Mauritius
· Singapore
· UAE
But!
What was the key to global reach?
The key was collaboration. The global reach was made possible through collaborations with well-established networks, bolstering acceptance points beyond India for Point of Sale (PoS), E-Commerce, and ATM transactions.
Currently, RuPay Global cards are used in the regions, with the collaboration of:
Binge the Boulettes
As seen earlier, you can Binge the Boulettes in Mauritius hassle-free as RuPay was launched in Mauritius on February 12, 2024.
Godspeed!
By incorporating RuPay technology, the MauCAS card scheme in Mauritius will empower local banks to issue RuPay cards domestically, allowing their use at ATMs and PoS terminals within Mauritius, as well as in India.
Alright!
You might assume that the benefits and values mentioned above are commonly found across most card networks.
By now, you know that we specialize in dispute and chargeback management. So, then RuPay’s distinctive dispute management features truly deserve a shoutout from us.
The Features
RuPay is in a league of its own, as it provides:
· Retrieval Request
· Single Chargeback Cycle
· Modular Code for Compliance and Pre-Compliance
· Bulk submission/filing for Good Faith, Pre-Compliance and Compliance
· Enhanced Dispute Categories
Great, let’s break down each of these points.
Retrieval Request (RR)
Unique to RuPay, the Retrieval Request (RR) is a pre-dispute stage exclusive to issuing banks. It allows the bank to request transaction proof directly from the merchant through the RuPay network. This vital step helps the bank decide whether a customer complaint necessitates a full chargeback. By clarifying any discrepancies with the merchant, RRs significantly reduce the number of invalid chargebacks.
Single Chargeback Cycle
Unlike Visa, which uses two separate dispute resolution flows (Allocation and Collaboration), RuPay, similar to Mastercard, utilizes a single, streamlined “Collaboration” flow.
Wondering what is the big thing in this?
This simplified approach reduces the burden of the operational team and minimizes confusion during the dispute process.
Modular Code for Compliance and Pre-Compliance
“One of a kind”
Yeah! RuPay stands out as one of a kind by offering distinct reason codes for compliance and pre-compliance. Unlike others that provide reason codes solely for dispute categories, RuPay delineates separate conditions for compliance and pre-compliance, offering clarity and precision.
Bulk submission/filing for Good Faith, Pre-Compliance, and Compliance
While Visa and Mastercard allow bulk submission for fraud cases (like “fraud bundling”), RuPay goes a step further by enabling bulk submission for pre-compliance, compliance, and good faith disputes as well.
Enhanced Dispute Categories
While most card networks offer standard dispute categories like Goods and Services, Processing Errors, Authorization, and Fraud, RuPay goes a step further by providing a dedicated category for “Copy Request Related Issues”.
This category specifically addresses disputes arising from “Retrieval Requests,” where merchants fail to furnish adequate transaction proof to the issuing bank. In simpler terms, if a cardholder questions a transaction and the merchant can’t provide the necessary documentation, RuPay’s system allows the issuer to raise a dispute easily using this category.
P.S: What topic do you think we should explore next? Let us know in the comments.
